Canada's First Nations (Indigenous population) often are pictured in the media as in a situation of conflict with governments. This volume takes a new approach, asking what kinds of cooperative partnerships Indigenous peoples have with local governments, and what explains their emergence and character. In the first two chapters, Alcantara and Nelles analyze historical trends and construct a theoretical framework. They discover 332 agreements, classifying them into four types: jurisdictional negotiations (most frequent, including transfer of service responsibilities, e.g., fire and police, from governments to First Nations), relationship-building, decolonization, and capacity-building (rare). Then they assess six factors seemingly explaining different types: institutions (e.g., land claims agreements), resources, external intervention, history/polarizing events, imperatives, and community capital. Nine provinces and two territories have at least a few intergovernmental agreements; in the last four chapters, the authors present case studies from northern Ontario, Yukon Territory, and Quebec, displaying how important factors produced the four types. This is a fine systematic study of a "quiet" process—emergence of partnerships between First Nations and local governments—which may be useful in other countries such as the US (in states with reservations) and Australia. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.

--G. A. McBeath, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Gerald (Jerry) A. McBeath

University of Alaska Fairbanks