The Sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples’ Bodies — Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Gurinder Purewal
[09/16 — Still waiting for permission to use reading]
Introduction
Simpson’s work contends that Indigenous resistance represents a radical repudiation of contemporary colonialism, emphasizing a refusal to accept the dispossession of both Indigenous bodies and lands. She asserts that the goal of this resistance should transcend mere cultural resurgence aimed at inclusion within a multicultural framework. Instead, she advocates for bold, place-based Indigenous alternatives to the harmful ideologies of the settler colonial state, including heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalist exploitation.
Indigenous resistance across North America has actively challenged the rollback of federal protections for forests and waterways on Indigenous lands, halted the expansion of tar sands extraction and pipeline construction at Standing Rock, and demanded justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women. In As We Have Always Done, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson argues that Indigenous political resurgence is deeply rooted in distinctively Indigenous ways of theorizing, writing, organizing, and thinking.
Reading
Access the reading in PDF format: Chapter 7 (pp. 95–118) of As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance (Simpson 2017)
Discussion Questions
Reflection
- What part of the reading stuck out to you most? Why did you find this significant?
- Did you learn anything new in this reading? Make a list and try to come up with at least 2–3 points that you found interesting.
- How can you use what you have learnt in this reading and apply it to your life or work going forward?
Bibliography
Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. 2017. As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
How to Cite This Page
Purewal, Gurinder. 2024. “The Sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples’ Bodies — Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.” In Great Thinkers, edited by Gurinder Purewal and Jenna Woodrow. Kamloops. BC: TRU Open Press. https://greatthinkers.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/sovereignty-of-indigenous-peoples-bodies-simpson/.
