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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Internally consistenty but flawed arguments,
By
This review is from: First Nations? Second Thoughts (Paperback)
While there are some important insights in this book about the current problems with Canadian Aboriginal policy, the book is written in a highly opinionated style with little substantiation for many of the claims that are made. There is a selective editorial usage of information and a remarkable disdain for opposing points of view. For example the author asserts that "European civilization was several thousand years more advanced than the Aboriginal cultures of North America both in technology and social organization" (p. 6). The author completely neglects the engineering mastery of Ancient Puebloans in their cliff dwellings, the political adeptness of the Iroquois (even though that has been exaggerated in its own right), and the complex linguistic and artistic accomplishments of Native peoples. One can say that their civilization was not "outward bound" like the European explorers (which most anthropologists believe is a resource-dependent attribute), but the kinds of statements which the author makes in this book are condescending and offensive.One can have disagreements about Native policy without belittling cultures and downplaying past injustices. Interestingly enough, UBC law professor Alan Cairns, is quoted on the back cover of the book with qualified praise for the volume as a "comprehensive critique." Dr. Cairns' book "Citizens Plus", is in my opinion, a far more comprehensive evaluation and critique for those interested in this topic.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Different but Interesting,
By
This review is from: First nations? Second thoughts (Hardcover)
"First Nations Second Thoughts" provides a different but interesting critique of the contemporary aboriginal rights movement in Canada. Taking issue with the report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples author Tom Flanagan maintains that what he calls the "aboriginal orthodoxy" (aboriginal leaders, non-aboriginal politicians, among others) have misled ordinary aboriginal people. By patronizing their traditional cultures and trying to find constitutional means to perhaps fossilize them aboriginal peoples, at the same time, are given sweet words but no improvements to their daily lives. Flanagan challenges assumptions that aboriginal peoples ,collectively prefer their traditional ways and consequent isolation to integration into modern Western society. His discussion is interesting except that he tends to set his own premises concerning the "aboriginal orthodoxy" rather than commenting on statements made by real people involved. He also neglects aboriginal values such as co-operation and consensus which have much to offer modern Western society. Nevertheless I reccommend "First Nations Second Thoughts as a perspective to those who have doubts about the aboriginal rights movement and as a challenge to those who defend it.
5 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Problem,
By Don Campbell (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: First nations? Second thoughts (Hardcover)
Flanagan's book is a magisterial, comprehensive analysis of the problems besetting Canada's archipelago of aboriginal communities, its "First Nations."Each chapter begins with a brief etymology of key words that we, in Canada, have heard many times in this on-going, highly-emotional debate. Flanagan answers comprehensively: Is the word "civilization" really a meaningless, relative term? The word "nation" did not mean even 25 years ago to natives what it does now. Are they really "nations" or is it just a more compelling, useful word than "band"? Why does the word "sovereignty" mean something different -- and more dangerous -- in Canada than in the U.S.? There is much more. I was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, a city with a large aboriginal population. The despair and difficulty faced by these people is troubling to everyone living there; an almost daily problem. Are the solutions offered by Canada's massive bureaucracy really going to help? Or will the good intentions of Indian Affairs only make the problem worse? Flanagan puts his finger -- compassionately -- on how the failed solutions of well-meaning leftist elites, and the aggressive campaigning of many who claim to represent natives, have missed the point. He commits the unpardonable sin of making irrefutable, thoroughly rational arguments against the present "solutions," earning him ad hominem attacks by those who cherish liberalism...even as it is consigning itself to the ash-heap of history, and exacerbating the sufferings of those it means to help.
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