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of settler colonialism to achieve its objective. This is the most
informative, penetrating and best-written account that I have read
on the topic.
The sixth and final part (a postscript) is an overview of the development
and current state of the relationship between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous peoples, including how Indigenous peoples are talking back to
the settler colonial society. There are some general and insightful observations
but no grand solution is given on how Indigenous peoples should deal
with the effects of settler colonialism.
Harris concludes in words that are relevant to all B.C. lawyers:
Indigenous peoples extend almost everywhere, unsettle established
ways, and pose many of the basic constitutional and legal questions with
which the country has to deal: the extent of Indigenous rights to land, the
nature and powers of Indigenous governments, the relationship of such
governments to the Canadian state. As these matters are worked out, as
it is now clear they have to be, Canada will become more Indigenous,
more just, and, I would hope, more sensitively attuned to its vast lands.
The country is being reimagined.9
A collection of previously published writings is a bit of a gamble for both
the author and the publishers. It runs the risk of being too much for those
who already have copies of some of the publications and too little for those
who do not. It is also difficult to put together in a coherent form material
written over several decades for a variety of audiences in different styles.
In this case, I think the gamble has paid off. Although I have had reason
over the years to re-read the books on British Columbia and a few of the articles,
I still found enough new material from relatively obscure sources to
justify the purchase of this collection. For readers not familiar with the
work of Professor Harris, this book will give them a great introduction and,
no doubt, spur them to read further. The selections are well chosen and the
introduction and the introductory comments to each selection link them
together in a way that provides an overall structure to the book.
In reading this book, I was reminded of one reviewer’s evaluation of The
Age of Capital, a classic work by Eric Hobsbawm, the eminent English historian.
In his view, it cemented Hobsbawm’s reputation as “an historian
who combined penetrating analysis with illuminating detail, high-level
scholarship with the ability to appeal to a broad readership. … The book had
all the hallmarks of Eric’s scholarly maturity – bold generalisation, engaging
detail, immense readability, thought-provoking and sometimes epigrammatically
expressed hypotheses, breadth of coverage, dazzling
erudition and cogent, stylish exposition.”10 I can do no better than adopt this
for my own evaluation of A Bounded Land.