An edition of Paper talk (2004)
Paper Talk
A History of Libraries, Print Culture, and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada before 1960
By Brendan Frederick R. Edwards
Publish Date
January 28, 2004
Publisher
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Language
eng
Pages
221
Description:
Paper Talk explores the relationship between the introduction of western print culture to Aboriginal peoples by missionaries, the development of libraries in the Indian schools in the nineteenth century, and the establishment of community-accessible collections in the twentieth century. While missionaries and the Department of Indian Affairs envisioned books and libraries as assimilative and "civilizing" tools, Edwards shows that some Aboriginal peoples articulated western ideas of print culture, literacy, books, and libraries as tools to assist their own cultural, social, and political aspirations. This text also serves to illustrate that the contemporary struggle of Aboriginal peoples in Canada to establish libraries in communities has a historical basis and that many of the obstacles faced today are remarkably similar to those encountered by earlier generations.