"Sepate but Unequal provides an in-depth critique of the ideology of "parallelism" - the prevailing view that Indigenous cultures and the wider Canadian society should coexist, albeit separately, in a nation-to-nation relationship. This book provides an alternative framework for examining Indigenous dependency. Using the final report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples as an example, this historical and material analysis shows how the single-minded pursuit of parallelism will not result in a more balanced relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.

On the contrary, it would restore archaic economic, political and ideological forms that would further isolate Indigenous populations. This new perspective - the political economy of neotribal rentierism - shows that Indigenous peoples' circumstances have been inextricably linked to to the development of capitalism in Canada. While Indigenous peoples were integral participants in the fur trade, Canada's transition from mercantilism to industrial capitalism largely led to their marginalization, and, in late capitalism, to recurrent dependency.

A remarkable work of scholarship, bravely tackling one of Canada's dirty secrets - the issue of continuing welfare dependency of the aboriginal population, "one of the most distressing political problems in Canada today." (Book Cover)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION
Separate but Unequal -- The Purpose of the Book -- The Subject of the Book -- The Structure of the Book

PART I: PARALLELIST IDEOLOGY AND THEORIZING INDIGENOUS DEPENDENCY

CHAPTER ONE
The Parallelist View of Indigenous Dependency -- The Royal Commission's Analysis of Indigenous Dependency -- The Lack of Criticism of the Final Report -- The Influence of Parallelism on Canadian Political Economy

CHAPTER TWO
Postmodern "Conceptions of History" -- Two "Conceptions of History"? -- Advocacy, Identity Politics, and Postmodernism -- The Postmodern Influence on Academic Disciplines -- The Parallelist Embrace of "Identity History"

CHAPTER THREE
"Diversity" and the Obscuring of Developmental Differences -- The Progressive Nature of History -- Obscuring Developmental Differences Between Indigenous Societies -- Exaggerating Indigenous Economic Development -- Exaggerating Indigenous Political Development -- The Exaggeration of Pre-Contact Indigenous Knowledge Development -- Understanding the Historical and Material Basis of Indigenous Diversity

CHAPTER FOUR
Postcolonialism and the Combination of Uneven Development -- The Royal Commission's Understanding of the European "Separate World" -- How Do Capitalist and Kin-Ordered Modes of Production Combine? -- The Uneven and Combined Development of Capitalism -- The Political Economy of Indigenous Peoples in Canada -- A Failure to Examine the Dynamics of Neotribal Rentierism -- Uneven and Combined Development and Indigenous Dependency

PART II: THE HISTORICAL AND MATERIAL ROOTS OF INDIGENOUS DEPENDENCY

CHAPTER FIVE
Mercantile "Co-operation" during the Fur Trade -- The Royal Commission's Analysis of the Contact and Co-operation Era -- The Historical and Material Basis of Early Co-operation -- Canadian Political Economy and the Contact and Co-operation Period -- You Can't Go Home Again

CHAPTER SIX
Displacement and the Limits of Industrial Assimilation -- An Idealistic Analysis of Displacement and Assimilation -- The Royal Commission's Examination of Indigenous Farming and Industrial Participation -- A Historical and Material Analysis of Indigenous Farming Failure -- The Obstacles to Indigenous Proletarianization -- Recognizing Cultural Unevenness in Canadian Development

CHAPTER SEVEN
Negotiating a Renewed Dependency in Late Capitalism -- The Royal Commission's Analysis of the Post-White Paper Era -- Focusing on Indigenous "Mixed Economies" -- The False Promise of Parallel Economies -- The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement -- The Inuvialuit Final Agreement -- The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement -- "Mixed Economies" and Indigenous Dependency -- Promoting Ghettos for the Urban Indigenous Population -- Parallelism and Separating Indigenous People from Labour

CHAPTER EIGHT
Laying Foundations for Overcoming Indigenous Dependency -- The Royal Commision's Proposals for a Renewed Relationship -- Traditional Knowledge: Protoscience and Spiritualism -- The Paucity of Evidence for Traditional Knowledge's Contribution -- The Questionable Character of Ethnobiology -- "Traditional Healing": Enhanced Health or the Legitimization of Qackery? -- Indigenous Pedagogy: Enculturation at the Expense of Education -- Generating "Rent" by Lowering Standards

CONCLUSION
Understanding the Separation that Reflects Inequality -- Initiating Demands for Compensatory "Rent" -- Parallelism's Gathering Strength in Academic Discussions -- The Royal Commission's Legacy for Addressing Indigenous Dependency -- A Plea for an Honest and Compassionate Research Agenda -- What is to be Done?

Bibliography

Index