Chris Andersen's volume on the Métis provides a perspective on Métis peoplehood that puts forward a thesis seeking recognition of Métis as a people, rather than the frequently racialized perspective dominant in Canadian society. There are a variety of strengths and weaknesses located in this volume.

Notable strengths include Andersen's critiques of the politics of recognition, and the ways which court recognition, while frequently a source of empowerment and recognition for Indigenous peoples, can also have unintended consequences as the courts legal approaches impact policy and perspective.

He further addresses the problematic section 35, which lists three Aboriginal peoples: First Nation, Inuit, and Métis - administrative categories that are convenient for the state, but that may not correspond to Indigenous understandings and self-determination.

His critiques remind me heavily of Paul L.A.H. Chartrand's who notably critiques these administrative categories as well on a similar basis.

Finally, another strength that I can highlight in Andersen's work is his critique of the racialization of the Métis. As he notes, all cultures are hybrid, mixed, at some point. The notion of cultural "purity" is an unscientific notion that continues to harm people. Understanding the Métis as "mixed" first and foremost can cause harm via perceiving the Métis as less Indigenous and reproduce colonial concepts such as blood quantum. In these manners, Andersen's work provides a radical re-visioning of Métis peoplehood.

There are, however, weaknesses in Andersen's work. In his introduction, he discusses conversations with others on the subject, where they inquire about why those not connected to Red River cannot be Métis, and Andersen cites that their ancestors did not identify as Métis. However, he does not answer a question left by this throughout the book: When did the Métis's ancestors start to use the term? A timeline on the term would be beneficial, as he notes a critique early on: that not all Métis's ancestors did use the term, but this point is not addressed in his work.

Rather, Andersen refers to kinship between communities, including Red River and Sault Ste Marie. However, the kinship therein mentioned could be extended to all fur trade communities, including those he considers non-tribal Indigenous fur trade communities (notably in the upper Great Lakes). Andersen's suggestion for ethnohistorians to use the terms a community used for themselves is a good one, but does not quite address the question of when a community could legitimately use the term Métis (the timeline).

Much of the weaknesses described above stem predominantly from Andersen not providing significant history into the term itself. He does provide a brief overview of events at Red River, and the term's use in the Census and law, but leaves much unanswered. Many of these blanks are, however, found in Sawchuk and Enhs "From New People to New Nation".

Overall, Andersen's work provides a fantastic overview and perspective on Métis peoplehood in Canada, which can serve as inspiration for future works. However, there are some weaknesses within the work that require the reader to dive into other literature to have a fuller picture of the history of the Métis people, and the history of the term itself. ( )

I want to say that my review has much more to do with my lack of knowledge about indigenous folks in Canada more broadly, and so being thrown in the middle of a discussion about Métis people was confusing for me, and also because I had to read this during a week where things have been weird personally. That being said, I actually did really like this book, I just struggled super hard with it--I found myself constantly losing track of the smaller arguments Andersen makes, or drifting away and then coming back unsure as to what I'd read. I recognize that these are my faults, not the author's, and I'd really like to come back at another point with a greater sense of understanding in general about indigeneity in Canada and perhaps of Métis history more specifically. ( )