The Indigenous Experience: Global Perspectives introduces upper-level undergraduate students to some of the richness and heterogeneity of Indigenous cultures. Written by top scholars in the field, the readings explore common themes and experiences of indigeneity that persist across geographic borders. The first section examines the processes of conquest and colonization, while the second section addresses genocide and the problem of intention. The remaining readings interrogate the social constructs and myths promulgated by colonialism and explore the politics of resistance, struggles for justice, and future models of constructive engagement.The examples span the globe from the Indigenous nations of Turtle Island—such as the Plains Cree, the Haudenosaunee nation of Kahnawake, and the Métis—to the original peoples of the South Pacific, including Aboriginal Australians, the Maori of Aotearoa, and the Rapanui. Other Indigenous peoples represented in this volume include the Guaraní, the Saami, the Ainu, and the Ogoni people. Combining historical narratives with complex conceptual issues and strong pedagogical support, The Indigenous Experience is a welcome addition to the literature of Indigenous Studies.

Roger C.A. Maaka is a Professor of Maori and Indigenous Studies at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Formerly the Head of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, he is a Maori expert and scholar. Dr. Maaka’s research interests include Indigenous peoples' quest for equity.

Roger C.A. Maaka's profile page

Chris Andersen is associate professor, associate dean (research), and the current director of the Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research in the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta. He is also the current editor of aboriginal policy studies, an online, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing on Métis, non-Status Indian, and urban Aboriginal issues in Canada and abroad. He is co-editor of Indigenous in the City: Contemporary Identities and Cultural Innovation (UBC Press, 2013).

Chris Andersen's profile page

"This book is a welcome addition to the literature. Perhaps its greatest strength is its breadth of coverage in terms of historical eras, colonizing powers, and the conditions and forces created by colonialism, as discussed by renowned authors.... This book does not shy away from the gory details of the colonial experience. As a result, colonialism does not come across as a mere academic abstraction; rather, it leaps off the page as a vivid reality."— “J. Rick Ponting, Sociology Department, University of Calgary