The Fourth World: An Indian Reality

by George Manuel

The Fourth World is a moving narrative of the Canadian Indian, of all aboriginal peoples everywhere, told with wisdom and compassion, not with the harsh clamour of militant rhetoric. Its view of the world of tomorrow is of a nation state that would contain within itself many different cultures and life ways, some highly tribal and traditional, some highly urban and individual. George Manuel, a leader in the North American Indian movement, along with co-author Michael Posluns, presents an informative and important historical document which traces the struggle for Indian survival as a nation, culture, and as a reality. This struggle, as seen through the eyes and experiences of a leader in that battle, sheds new light on alternatives for co-existence. The Fourth World is an alternative to the new world, the old world and, of late, the Third World. The authors contrast the lives and cultures that presently exist on the North American continent. On the one hand, the native Indians - a cultuer of sharing, with an economy which is one with the land. On the other hand, the Europeans - coming to the new world with technology, manifest destiny, and the need to accumulate. These two cultures have NOT co-existed. The Europeans, according to the authors, have dominated and exploited, trying to assimilate and thus destroy the native culture. In order for that native way of life to survive and for European culture to continue and prosper, a new order must be developed. The authors call for a re-evaluateion by "conquerors" of their European basis, structures, goals, and moral imperatives. The Fourth World is a nation state in which natives and Europeans can live together, one state within the other, without domination, but with respect for different ways of life. The thoughts in The Fourth World are as provocative as they are historicaly informative. They are thoughts not of one man, but of a culture which lives with the earth, not simply on it.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Indigenous History, Canada, Theory

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[X-Krow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sort of time-capsule experience of Indigenous activist George Manuel, being a mix of his personal story, Indigenous history, and broad and specific political ideals. I think this book does an excellent job of blending all these elements together into a cohesive whole that gets at the titular "Fourth World". We learn about the struggles that Manuel and those before him have engaged in since the dawn of the "Canada", the battles they have fought to even have their voices heard let alone be listened to. The weaponization of legal frameworks that delude groups into believing in the artificial superiority of the oppressor. The ideas of sharing that are prevalent throughout Indigenous traditions and how that is the way their individualized struggle has survived. An excellent primer on Indigenous relations in Canada and BC and a glimpse in what the "Fourth World" is.

[Carolann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this first in the 1980s, then again more recently. I have reference it many times over the years as it demonstrates from a very personal perspective, the relatively recent impacts of white settlement on indigenous populations in Canada, and the political evolution of Canadian Indians. The author, George Manual, a Shuswap, led the National Indian Brotherhood (now known as the Assembly of First Nations) and founded the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

completed the my goodreads challenge with this one if anyone was curious. pretty good and some really interesting stuff about community organizing but we didn't really dig into it so i was left feeling like i didn't get 100% out of it

[Peter B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough book to rate. Manuel’s content and message are still essential reading, forty-five years after initial publication. The injustices he describes still need to be redressed. I needed to read this to attempt to come to terms with how to live as a “settler.”
His style is often clever—for example when he describes how for many years the typical Indian family was a man, a woman, two children and an athropodologist. But, often it becomes tedious and I struggled to stay with him.
I am glad I did because it has adjusted by view of indigenous people and it has sent me in search of more understanding.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left a lasting impression on me. George Manuel posed so many questions, all of which opened my eyes to how much I still have to learn and understand about Indigenous Peoples and their history. No book has ever motivated me more to search for answers.

[Tiffany Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally picked up this book because my great-grandfather shared that he had taken part in the Constitution Express movement back in the 1980s. I was curious to learn more about that moment in history and his role in it. But the book exceeded my expectations! It’s definitely a must-read for anyone wanting to better understand the history of Canada and its pathway toward Indigenous rights and recognition.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought provoking. Written in the style of Vine Deloria Jr.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really important perspective, still very much relevant and needed today

[Mario Torrao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful even today. Written in 1974, it still holds many truths of Canadian Indigenous communities, their struggles and hopes.

[Verre Morshed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manuel does a great job reframing the struggle of Indigenous peoples as the result of being unfairly exploited and dominated by colonizers.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic, whose reputation is well-earned in my opinion. A due warning, the text is dense and shows its age; this Millenial scholar finds it a bit difficult to get through in places. But this is more than made up for by its conceptual concepts, and especially the idea of a Fourth World economy that threads through the work, and gave me a very different lens for thinking about indigeneity in our not-quite-post-colonial world.

[Miskaankwaad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read to gain insights into one of the minds that shaped the course of the relationship between indigenous people and the rest of Canada during the 1970's and 80's.
A great companion is his son Arthur Manuel's "Unsettling Canada", which builds on the vision his father had.