Forced Federalism ─ Contemporary Challenges to Indigenous Nationhood

With the passage of the Indian Gaming and Regulatory Act in 1988, American Indians entered a new era in indigenous policy, which Corntassel (Indigenous Governance Programs, U. of Victoria, Canada), Witmer (political science, Creighton U., Nebraska, US), and Robertson (American Indian Law and Policy Center, U. of Oklahoma, US) refer to as the "forced federalism" era, because of the way that the transfer of federal powers to state governments has forced indigenous nations into "dangerous political and legal relationships with state governments that challenge their cultures and nationhood status." In this book, they systematically investigate the effects of forced federalism using case studies of indigenous-state conflicts; interviews with leaders of the Narragansett Nation and the Cherokee Nation; findings from surveys of indigenous leaders; opinion polls conducted with indigenous and non-indigenous people; and data from the National Governors' Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Center for Responsive Politics. They explore both the changing intergovernmental relationships between indigenous nations and local, state, and federal governments in the forced federalism era, as well as how socially constructed images of the "rich Indian" (i.e., rich off of casinos) have influenced policy-making. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)