Being Together in Place: Indigenous Coexistence in a More Than Human World

by Soren C. Larsen, Jay T. Johnson, Daniel R. Wildcat (Foreword)

Being Together in Place explores the landscapes that convene Native and non-Native people into sustained and difficult negotiations over their radically different interests and concerns. Grounded in three sites—the Cheslatta-Carrier traditional territory in British Columbia; the Wakarusa Wetlands in northeastern Kansas; and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Aotearoa/New Zealand—this book highlights the challenging, tentative, and provisional work of coexistence around such contested spaces as wetlands, treaty grounds, fishing spots, recreation areas, cemeteries, heritage trails, and traditional village sites. At these sites, activists learn how to articulate and defend their intrinsic and life-supportive ways of being, particularly to those who are intent on damaging or destroying these places. 

Using ethnographic research and a geographic perspective, Soren C. Larsen and Jay T. Johnson show how the communities in these regions challenge the power relations that structure the ongoing (post)colonial encounter in liberal democratic settler-states. Emerging from their conversations with activists was a distinctive sense that the places for which they cared had agency, a “call” that pulled them into dialogue, relationships, and action with human and nonhuman others. This being-together-in-place, they find, speaks in a powerful way to the vitalities of where humans and nonhumans are working to decolonize their relationships; where reciprocal guardianship is being stitched back together in new and unanticipated ways; and where a new kind of “place thinking” is emerging on the borders of colonial power.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction, Research

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

on the one hand, i completely disagree with the somewhat depoliticizing/all-encompassing uses of agency, ontology, ontological styles, pluriverse, pluralism, and coexistence, which to me let the error internal to eurocentric modes of being off the hook a bit too easily. on the other hand, these disagreements are pretty superficial because what's more important is the idea that place *calls* in a certain way that produces a kind of political responsibility. i find that idea to be both compelling and a real advance of thinking and practice. finally, the authors clearly have a ton of ethical and political experience underlying this book that they speak to humbly and with all of its messiness intact.

[Shirleynature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most significant to me is part II which focuses on the Wakarusa Wetlands--a very special place that is near and dear to me. The local politics and history discussed regarding Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice deserve to be written in a book that is widely read. I really wanted to gain wisdom in reading this book. The subjects covered here are hugely important, but the voice or point-of-view is inconsistent; too much of the text is written in the language of academe rather than a lyrically-flowing tone.

Merged review:

Part II focuses on the Wakarusa Wetlands--a very special place that is near and dear to me. The local politics and history discussed regarding Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice deserve to be widely understood. I really wanted to learn from this book. The subjects covered here are hugely important. Beware the voice or point-of-view is inconsistent; much of the text is written in the language of academe rather than a lyrically-flowing tone.

[Mills College Library]

970.00497 L3344 2017