Unsettled Expectations: Uncertainty, Land and Settler Decolonization

by Eva Mackey

What do local conflicts about land rights tell us about Indigenous-settler relations and the challenges and possibilities of decolonization? In Unsettled Expectations, Eva Mackey draws on ethnographic case studies about land rights conflicts in Canada and the U.S. to argue that critical analysis of present-day disputes over land, belonging and sovereignty will help us understand how colonization is reproduced today and how to challenge it. Employing theoretical approaches from Indigenous and settler colonial studies, and in the context of critical historical and legal analysis, Mackey urges us to rethink the assumptions of settler certainty that underpin current conflicts between settlers and Indigenous peoples and reveals settler privilege to be a doomed fantasy of entitlement.
Finally, Mackey draws on case studies of Indigenous-settler alliances to show how embracing difficult uncertainty can be an integral part of undoing settler privilege and a step toward decolonization.

234 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Emily Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book that explores settler resistance to Indigenous land claims. It starts with an explanation of how Canada has maintained the notion of its ultimate, superior and higher sovereignty and in the process secured settler expectations of certainty over the lands/property that they hold. Mackey then goes on to present her ethnographic research with settler movements opposing the land claims of the Caldwell First Nation (S. Ontario) and the Cayuga Indian Nation (upstate New York). Here she shows how settler feelings of anger about the uncertainty they experienced because of the land claims is a product of Canada's settler project that denies Indigenous sovereignty and perpetuates myths about the legitimacy of its occupation and authority. In the last part of the book Mackey moves beyond simply a critique of settler colonialism and into an exploration of what "living within Indigenous sovereignty" (Nicoll 2004) might mean. The framework for this relationship is the Treaties and establishing a just political relationship will require settlers "to treaty" as a verb - to constantly renew our treaty relationships. Finally, looking at the Onondago land rights court action for recognition of Aboriginal title she shows how title does not mean owenership, compensation or possession for the Onondaga, rather it means securing a relationship with the land and each other for the present and future (146).

[Madelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for all in Canada and the US.

It's a bit of a textbook, in that I could see this being a book assigned in a course, but reads like an incredibly instructive and illustrative long form essay. You will learn A Lot. I also appreciated the essay style of repeating the thesis as it related to the newly built concepts as it went along. There are so many concepts, points and examples, that every single chapter (5 I believe) require a deep understanding of the previous chapter.

The first three chapters are hard stuff - it's really uncomfortable to read as a white Canadian, which is important, but also a heads up to take time with yourself when reading it.

The last two chapters speak to how reconciliation can happen, and also the ways in which it has and already is happening. The final chapter serves as a excellent overview of some "settler mentality checks" if you will.

As a result, the last two chapters are somewhat easier to read in one go as it looks to the future.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a thoughtful and thorough look at settler-indigenous relationships in Canada and the Northern U.S. It's a challenging academic read. But it connected some dots for me about topics like the Doctrine of Discovery, terra nullius, First Nation and Crown sovereignty, treaties, and the Indian Act. Even more importantly, the author picks apart many assumptions that undergird our Canadian/Western legal system, along with property rights, and how this affects our expectations and actions today. The author interviews people who are for and against various land claims, and finds out why.

This book has helped me more thoughtfully interpret the news. One of her main arguments is that all Canadians are "treaty people," so we would all benefit from learning about and partnering with those we've made treaties with. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the topic, but beware: you'll probably come out of it a tad more skeptical of the constructs our settler society is built on. Fun times!