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A Legacy of Exploitation
Early Capitalism in the Red River Colony, 1763–1821
Susan Dianne Brophy (Author)
9780774866354
Hardback, published 15 May 2022
298 pages, 5 maps, 4 illus., 1 b&w photo
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.58 kg
In providing this "fundamental rethink" of Marxist analysis, the author has cleared a path that other scholars will surely follow. This is an important book. - James Daschuk, University of Regina (The Western Historical Quarterly)
It is unlikely that buyers of the Hudson's Bay Company's "iconic multistripe" point blanket these days reflect on the historically exploitative relationship between the company and Indigenous producers. This critical re-evaluation of the company's first planned settlement at Red River uncovers that history. As a settler-colonialist project par excellence, the Red River Colony was designed to undercut Indigenous peoples' troublesome" autonomy and better control their labour. Susan Dianne Brophy upends standard historical portrayals by foregrounding Indigenous peoples' autonomy as a driving force of change. A Legacy of Exploitation offers a comprehensive account of legal, economic, and geopolitical relations to show how autonomy can become distorted as complicity in processes of dispossession. Ultimately, this book challenges enduring yet misleading national fantasies about Canada as a nation of bold adventurers.
Introduction: Exploitation and Autonomy 1 Reciprocity and Dispossession: Processes of Transformation 2 Monopoly and Competition: Contests over Indigenous Peoples' Labour and Land 3 Honour and Duplicity: Debts of Rivals, Dreams of an Aristocrat 4 Servitude and Independence: The Settler Colonial "Experiment" Begins 5 Menace and Ally: Proclamation as Provocation 6 Consciousness and Ignorance: New Nation, Old Grievances Conclusion: Continuity and Change Notes; Bibliography; Index