Description
Book SynopsisDescribes the evolving pattern of settlement and the changing relationships of people and land in Canada from the end of the 15th century to the Confederation years of the late 1860s and early 1870s. This work shows how a deeply indigenous land was reconstituted in European terms, and how European ways were recalibrated in this non-European space.
Trade ReviewTrial lawyers attending on Aboriginal claims will find this text usefully covers the history from 1500 forward, showing the changes from an Indigenous populated land to one organized on European terms. -- Ronald F. MacIsaac * The Barrister, Issue No.89 *
This is a welcome antidote to the simplistic renderings of early Canadian history we are exposed to in high school social studies courses, political speeches and CBC mini-series. […] Harris has crafted a deeply insightful account of the history of what would become Canada. […]
The Reluctant Land will be used in historical geography courses for many years to come – but it’s more than that, because Harris set himself the task of writing a scholarly book accessible to the general reader. […] Encountering
The Reluctant Land is like listening to a series of articulate public lectures, organized on a regional basis, allowing for an exploration of each part of the country, in turn. -- Raymon Torchinsky * BC Bookworld, Vol.23, No.1, Spring 2009 *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
1 Lifeworlds, circa 1500
2 The Northwestern Atlantic, 1497-1632
3 Acadia and Canada
4 The Continental Interior, 1632-1750
5 Creating and Bounding British North America
6 Newfoundland
7 The Maritimes
8 Lower Canada
9 Upper Canada
10 The Northwestern Interior, 1760-1870
11 British Columbia
12 Confederation and the Pattern of Canada
Index
