A Hybrid Identity in a Pluralistic Nineteenth-Century Colonial Context

Abstract

The colonial process often occurs within a pluralistic context in which all the actors continuously renegotiate their identities. Traditionally, this context has been framed within a colonizer/colonized dichotomy, but recent scholarship has embraced a more-complex interpretation, such that colonizers and colonized are not homogenizing categories, and variations in experience are accepted. The deconstruction of colonial categories further complicates pluralistic contexts and allows for a more nuanced reading of the past; however, the colonial discourse continues to have difficulty exploring and discussing identities that do not fit neatly into either a colonizer or colonized identity. This paper explores how the Labrador Metis, a self-defined hybrid identity, do not cleanly fit within the current discourse and highlights the need to begin reconceptualizing the actors within the colonial process.