In Good Relation: History, Gender, and Kinship in Indigenous Feminisms ed. by Sarah Nickel and Amanda Fehr (review)

This book revises and expands upon scholarship on Indigenous feminism, offering reflections from a new generation of academics, artists, activists, and community members who emphasise the intersectionality of gender and race and the plurality of Indigenous feminisms. In the introduction, Nickel acknowledges that mainstream white feminist movements have too often ignored the realities and interests of Indigenous women but emphasises feminism's relevance as a theoretical concept that could offer fertile ground, when paired with attendant critiques of power, in order to destabilise patriarchal and colonial discourses that contribute to gendered colonial violence and Indigenous dispossession. Indigenous feminisms, then, trace the ways in which sexism, racism, colonialism, and heteropatriarchy interrelate to influence and disempower Indigenous peoples' lives.

The contributors to this volume conceptualise how Indigenous feminisms are intertwined with a philosophy of 'acting in good relation' and 'being responsible to community' (p. 2). They situate fighting for Indigenous women's rights as part of a larger project aimed at protecting Indigenous communities broadly. This collection defies simple dichotomies and compartmentalisations, with contributors' different backgrounds and positions highlighting diverse ways to engage with Indigenous feminisms today, inside and outside of academia. The volume covers a wide range of disciplinary influences, including history, sociology, health education, and visual and literary arts, mainly in Canada and the United States but more widely too, as in Astri Dankersten's essay on the Norwegian Sápmi territory. The approach is refreshing, where academic writing is interposed with poetry, personal prose, interviews, and photographs.

The book is organised in three sections. Part 1 considers historical and personal expressions of activism and resistance, violence, and representation. Kickerbocker's and Nickel's essays examine instances of Indigenous feminist political activism in the twentieth century, in the Stó:lō context and in homemakers clubs in western Canada respectively, offering multi-layered analyses of Indigenous women's complex relationships with Indigenous men and with settler women. Tasha Hubbard explores Indigenous feminist resistance and representations via cinema and through interviews with young Indigenous women. Part 2 explores intersections between Indigenous feminism and Indigenous queer studies and highlights the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ peoples as crucial for ethical and transformative feminist work. In different ways, Kai Pyle and Chantal Fiola grapple with the complexities of 'Two-Spirit', the origins of the term, and the role tradition and gender norms play in empowering and disempowering Indigenous women and gender-diverse peoples. While the connections between Indigenous feminisms and kinship are present throughout the collection, Part 3 offers a more personal assessment of multi-generational feminism, including Waaseyaa'sin Christine Sy's creative writing on decolonial parenting and conversations with her Black-Indigenous daughter, as well as a dialogue essay between Omeasoo Wāhpāsiw and her mother, the poet Louise Halfe.

This book poses important questions and offers insightful reflections on a topic that is gaining powerful momentum in Canada. Its nuanced treatment of the complexities involved in thinking about Indigenous feminisms renders it valuable to a variety of readers interested in feminist, queer, and decolonial studies.