Jeffrey Denis – författare

Although settler colonialism is a deeply entrenched structural problem, Indigenous peoples have always resisted it and sought to protect their land, sovereignty, and treaties. Some settlers have aimed to support Indigenous peoples in these struggles. This book examines what happens when settlers engage with and attempt to transform settler colonial systems.What does ‘decolonizing’ action look like? What roles can settlers play? What challenges, complexities, and barriers arise? And what opportunities and possibilities emerge? The authors emphasize the need for settlers to develop long-term relationships of accountability with Indigenous peoples and the land, participate in meaningful dialogue, and respect Indigenous laws and jurisdiction. Writing from multiple disciplinary lenses, and focusing on diverse research settings, from Turtle Island (North America) to Palestine, the authors show that transforming settler colonial relations and consciousness is an ongoing, iterative, and unsettling process that occurs through social justice-focused action, critical self-reflection, and dynamic-yet-committed relationships with Indigenous peoples. This book was originally published as a special issue of Settler Colonial Studies.

Although settler colonialism is a deeply entrenched structural problem, Indigenous peoples have always resisted it and sought to protect their land, sovereignty, and treaties. Some settlers have aimed to support Indigenous peoples in these struggles. This book examines what happens when settlers engage with and attempt to transform settler colonial systems.What does ‘decolonizing’ action look like? What roles can settlers play? What challenges, complexities, and barriers arise? And what opportunities and possibilities emerge? The authors emphasize the need for settlers to develop long-term relationships of accountability with Indigenous peoples and the land, participate in meaningful dialogue, and respect Indigenous laws and jurisdiction. Writing from multiple disciplinary lenses, and focusing on diverse research settings, from Turtle Island (North America) to Palestine, the authors show that transforming settler colonial relations and consciousness is an ongoing, iterative, and unsettling process that occurs through social justice-focused action, critical self-reflection, and dynamic-yet-committed relationships with Indigenous peoples. This book was originally published as a special issue of Settler Colonial Studies.

Winner of the John Porter Tradition of Excellence Book Award, Canada at a Crossroads draws on group position theory, settler colonial studies, critical race theory, and Indigenous theorizing. Canada at a Crossroads emphasizes the social psychological barriers to transforming white settler ideologies and practices and working towards decolonization. After tracing settlers’ sense of group superiority and entitlement to historical and ongoing colonial processes, Denis illustrates how contemporary Indigenous and settler residents think about and relate to one another. He highlights how, despite often having close cross-group relationships, residents maintain conflicting perspectives on land, culture, history, and treaties, and Indigenous residents frequently experience interpersonal and systemic racism. Denis then critically assesses the promise and pitfalls of commonly proposed solutions, including intergroup contact, education, apologies, and collective action, and concludes that genuine reconciliation will require radically restructuring Canadian society and perpetually fulfilling treaty responsibilities.