Books

In this long-awaited book from one of the most recognized and respected scholars in Native Studies today, Emma LaRocque presents a powerful interdisciplinary study of the Native literary response to racist writing in the Canadian historical and literary record from 1850 to 1990.

First Nations Gaming in Canada examines the history of Aboriginal gaming and its role in indigenous political economy, the rise of large-scale casinos and cybergaming, the socio-ecological impact of problem gambling, and the challenges of labour unions and financial management.

Winnipeg’s Great War picks up in 1914, just as the city is regrouping after a brief economic downturn. Using letters, diaries, and newspaper reports, Jim Blanchard brings us into the homes and public offices of Winnipeg and its citizens to illustrate the profound effect the war had on every aspect of the city.

Manitoba Politics and Government brings together the work of political scientists, historians, sociologists, economists, public servants, and journalists to present a comprehensive analysis of the province’s political life and its “mutual fund model” approach to economic and social policy that mirrors the nature of its citizens.

Indigenous media challenges state power, erodes communication monopolies, and illuminates government threats to Indigenous cultural, social, economic, and political sovereignty. Its effectiveness in these areas, however, is hampered by government control of broadcast frequencies, licensing, and legal limitations over content and ownership.

Storied Landscapes is a beautifully written, sweeping examination of the evolving identity of major ethno-religious immigrant groups in the Canadian West including Ukrainians, Mennonites, Icelanders, Doukhobors, Germans, Poles, Romanians, Jews, Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes.

In a micro-analysis of 400 private letters, Families, Lovers, and their Letters examines the experiences of Italian migrants to Canada and their loved ones left behind in Italy following the Second World War, when the largest migration of Italians to Canada took place.

Drawing connections between immigrant groups in Buffalo, New York, and Kitchener, Ontario, Barbara Lorenzkowski examines the interactions of German-language education, choral groups, and music festivals and their roles in creating both an ethnic sense of self and opportunities for cultural exchanges at the local, ethnic, and transnational levels.

Prairie Metropolis brings together some of the best new graduate research on the history of Winnipeg and makes a groundbreaking contribution to the history of the city between 1900 and the 1980s. The essays place Winnipeg’s experiences in national and international contexts.

The first collection of scholarly essays on the work of internationally acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin. Featuring new and updated essays from American, Canadian, and Australian scholars, collaborators, and critics, as well as an in-depth interview with Maddin, this collection explores the aesthetics and politics behind Maddin’s work.

As a people who emerged, adapted, and survived in a climate of change, the western Ojibwa demonstrate both the effects of historic forces that acted upon Native peoples, and the spirit, determination, and adaptive strategies that the Native people have used to cope with those forces.

Photographer Gerry Kopelow came of age in the late sixties. At the age of eighteen, with camera in hand he hit the road on a cross-country photographic journey that took him from Winnipeg to Toronto and Ottawa, and All Our Changes is his stunning collection of 160 black and white photographs taken between 1968 and 1970.

Taking Back Our Spirits traces the link between Canadian public policies, the injuries they have inflicted on Indigenous people, and Indigenous literature’s ability to heal individuals and communities.

In 1986, Jim Walding was nominated as the NDP candidate for the Manitoba constituency of St. Vital, and he won the nomination by only a single vote. Walding went on to bring down his own government by a single vote, marking the only time in the history of Canadian politics that a majority government was brought down from within.

Written by fifteen Aboriginal scholars, activists, and community leaders, Restoring the Balance combines life histories and biographical accounts with historical and critical analyses grounded in traditional thought and approaches. It is a powerful and important book.

The product of three decades of research, this is the definitive biography of Lord Selkirk.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Saskatchewan was one of the fastest growing provinces in the country. It gave rise to socialist governments that continue to influence Canadian politics today. Perspectives of Saskatchewan presents an in-depth look at some of the major developments in the province’s history.

Skillfully combining vivid detail with the larger social context, For All We Have and Are provides a nuanced picture of how one Canadian community rebuilt both its realities and myths in response to the cataclysm of the “war to end all wars.”