From Metissage to Metis Nationhood

This book deals with the quest for nationhood of the Canadian Metis, a mixed-blood group that acquired the status of one of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Racist historiography had built up a dichotomy of "civilized" versus "primitive" peoples in which the role of the Metis in Canadian nation-building was downplayed. This case study seeks to correct wrong assumptions and erroneous conclusions about ethnicity, nationalism and individuation. In doing so it hopes to contribute to more differentiated views on our understanding of cultural processes and historical theory-building.