A People and a Nation: New Directions in Contemporary Métis Studies ed. by Jennifer Adese and Chris Andersen (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: A People and a Nation: New Directions in Contemporary Métis Studies ed. by Jennifer Adese and Chris Andersen Julie Pelletier (bio) A People and a Nation: New Directions in Contemporary Métis Studies edited by Jennifer Adese and Chris Andersen University of British Columbia Press, 2021 A PEOPLE AND A NATION: NEW DIRECTIONS IN CONTEMPORARY MÉTIS STUDIES is a new addition to the small but growing field of Métis studies. Jennifer Adese and Chris Anderson, editors, contribute chapters, as do Robert L. S. Hancock, Daniel Voth, Robert Alexander Innes, Jesse Thistle, June Scudeler, Paul L. Gareau, and Adam Gaudry. The authors, most of whom identify as Métis, have backgrounds in Indigenous/Métis/Native studies as well as (individually) in sociology, history, gender and sexuality studies, anthropology, religious studies, and political science. Contributors include established (Innes, Adese, etc.) and establishing (Thistle, Scudeler, etc.) scholars. As with all edited volumes, the style and quality of writing vary; however, A People and a Nation is solidly written throughout. The contributors engage with Andersen's seminal work on Métis identity and Métis studies—"Métis": Race, Recognition, and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoplehood—which he elucidates in the coauthored (with Adese) Introduction: A New Era of Métis Studies Scholarship, and in the volume's first chapter, "Peoplehood and the Nation Form: Core Concepts for a Critical Métis Studies." The emphasis on peoplehood illustrates the approach taken by Andersen and other Métis scholars who reject the racialization approach that characterizes the other side of Métis identity theorizing. The significance of examining Métis identity goes beyond the academic, as Canada is addressing and defining, through laws and policies, national and provincial understandings of Metis identity, status, histories, rights, and more. Discussions and debates on Métis identity are heated, passionate, and seemingly unproductive as the binary of peoplehood versus racialization may be rooted in different worldviews and are fueled by powerful motivators, including recognition of long-held individual and community identities, socioeconomic benefits, legal and political status and standing, and more. Tensions over ethnic fraud, "Pretendians," "race fakers," etc. are rife, particularly in the academic world. The contributors to A People and a Nation apply the Métis peoplehood lens and their academic training to critically analyze the cultural and social underpinnings of Métis identity in Canada. The results are insightful and [End Page 154] interesting, as the authors take to task research on and understandings of Métis peoples and identity that were (and still are) embedded in colonial and colonizing projects and perspectives. Hancock further develops Andersen's critical Métis studies by describing ways to decolonize research. Voth's discussion of the politics of racial mixing is influential, as is Gareau's application of religion as an analytical tool in critical Métis studies. Thistle and Scudeler, in different ways, give voice to Métis people of the past by listening to their stories. Adese's chapter on the erasure of Métis women, particularly in the political arena, is well researched and valuable but strikes an ironic chord as only two self-identified women were included as contributors, in contrast to six self-identified men. Gaudry's chapter wraps up the volume appropriately by focusing on further developments in Métis studies. This volume is appropriate for college and university courses in several disciplines. The field of Métis studies is rapidly growing, and A People and a Nation: New Directions in Contemporary Métis Studies is a significant addition to the canon. Finally, kudos to the editors or the press for securing Sherry Farrell Racette's painting Batoche Procession for the cover. [End Page 155] Julie Pelletier JULIE PELLETIER is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Winnipeg. Copyright © 2022 Regents of the University of Minnesota