With Good Intentions: Euro-Canadian and Aboriginal Relations in Colonial Canada - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0774811374 ISBN 13: 9780774811378

Publisher: UBC Press, 2006

Synopsis

"Hell is paved with good intentions." - Samuel Johnson, from Boswell's Life of JohnsonWith Good Intentions examines the work of individuals of European ancestry and of organizations who worked with Aboriginal people against injustice in Canada at a time when colonization was most actively occurring. The efforts of these individuals, while noble and sensitive, were insufficient to stop exploitation of Native peoples. Between the mid-19th century and the first two decades of the 20th, colonization of Aboriginal lands proceeded apace. The people discussed in this book recognized colonial injustice and worked in a variety of ways to address it, but did not hinder colonization.The book is not an apologist text, nor an effort to argue that some colonizers of Canada were really "good-hearted" people, although most of those discussed were that. Almost all those discussed had as an overall goal the Christianization and civilization of Native peoples in Canada. With Good Intentions is also not an effort to vindicate wrongs done to Native people and cultures.

About this title

Review:

Haig-Brown, Nock and the contributing authors are to be congratulated for presenting a work that is well-researched and competently argued. -- Derek Whitehouse-Strong, History Department, Grant MacEwan College * H-Net Book Review, July 2006 *

Synopsis:

"With Good Intentions" examines the work of individuals of European ancestry and of organizations who worked with Aboriginal people against injustice in Canada at a time when colonization was most actively occurring. The efforts of these individuals, while noble and sensitive, were insufficient to stop exploitation of Native peoples. Between the mid-19th century and the first two decades of the 20th, colonization of Aboriginal lands proceeded apace. The people discussed in this book recognized colonial injustice and worked in a variety of ways to address it, but did not hinder colonization. The book is not an apologist text, nor an effort to argue that some colonizers of Canada were really "good-hearted" people, although most of those discussed were that. Almost all those discussed had as an overall goal the Christianization and civilization of Native peoples in Canada. "With Good Intentions" is also not an effort to vindicate wrongs done to Native people and cultures. This volume is an important resource for anyone interested in Canadian history, particularly post-Confederation history, and in Native studies and issues of colonization of Native peoples.

It does much to acknowledge the additional complexities of colonization that have not often been considered in earlier works, and thus serves a decolonizing agenda. This approach is increasingly becoming the focus of study by both Native and non-Native people alike, wherever colonialism has occurred.

About this edition

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0774811374
• ISBN 13: 9780774811378
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368
• Editor: Haig-Brown Celia, Nock David A.