It’s All About the Land: Book Discussion and Q&A with Author Dr. Taiaiake Alfred and Dr. Pam Palmater
Join the Office of Indigenous Initiatives for a conversation about It's All about the Land: Collected Talks and Interviews on Indigenous Resurgence with Dr. Taiaiake Alfred, the book's author, and Dr. Pam Palmater. Register here.
The book discussion and Q&A will be held at the McGill University Centre Ballroom (3480 McTavish Street) on Wednesday, September 20 from 3:00-4:30 pm. It will be followed by a networking session with the speakers.
"Illuminating the First Nations struggles against the Canadian state, It’s All about the Land exposes how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships. Renowned Kahnawà:ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred explains how the Canadian government’s reconciliation agenda is a new form of colonization that is guaranteed to fail. Bringing together Alfred’s speeches and interviews from over the past two decades, the book shows that Indigenous peoples across the world face a stark choice: reconnect with their authentic cultures and values or continue following a slow road to annihilation. Rooted in ancestral spirit, knowledge, and law, It’s All about the Land presents a passionate argument for Indigenous Resurgence as the pathway toward justice for Indigenous peoples."
Read more about It’s All About the Land here.
More about the speakers:
Dr. Taiaiake Alfred is a Kahnawà:ke Mohawk philosopher and political strategist with more than three decades of experience in First Nations governance, political activism, and cultural restoration. After twenty-five years as a university professor, he now works directly with Indigenous nations to help breathe life into their visions of self-determination. He has been awarded a Canada Research Chair, a National Aboriginal Achievement/Indspire Award, and the Native American Journalists Association award for best column writing. He is the author of three highly acclaimed books: Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors: Kahnawake Mohawk Politics and the Rise of Native Nationalism; Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto; and Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom.
Dr. Pamela D. Palmater is a Mi’kmaw citizen and a member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. She has been a practicing lawyer for 16 years and is currently an Associate Professor and the Chair in Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University. She comes from a large family of 8 sisters and three brothers. She has four university degrees, including a BA from St. Thomas in Native Studies, and an LLB from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) where she won the Faskin Campbell Godfrey prize in natural resources and environmental law. She went on to complete her Masters and Doctorate in Law from Dalhousie University Law School, specializing in First Nation law. Pam has been studying, volunteering and working in First Nation issues for over 25 years on a wide range of social, political and legal issues, like poverty, housing, child and family services, treaty rights, education and legislation impacting First Nations. She came in second in the Assembly of First Nations election for National Chief in 2012 and was one of the spokespeople, organizers and public educators for the Idle No More movement in 2012-13.
To find out more about the 2023 Indigenous Awareness Weeks, which this event is part of, please visit the IAW webpage.
