Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health in Canada Book Cover

<TITLE>Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health in Canada

<SUBTITLE>Beyond the Social

<EDITORS>Margo Greenwood, Sarah de Leeuw, Nicole Marie Lindsay, and Charlotte Reading

<OVERVIEW>

The health disparities affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada might well be understood as a national epidemic. Although progress has been made in the last decade towards both understanding and ameliorating Indigenous health inequalities, very little research or writing has expanded a social determinants of health framework to account for the unique histories and present realities of Indigenous peoples in this country. This timely edited collection addresses this significant knowledge gap, exploring the ways that multiple health determinants beyond the social—from colonialism to geography, from economy to biology—converge to impact the health status of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

This unique collection, comprised largely of contributions by Indigenous authors, offers the voices and expertise of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis writers from coast to coast. The multitude of health determinants of Indigenous peoples are considered in a selection of chapters that range from scholarly papers by research experts in the field, to reflective essays by Indigenous leaders. Appropriate across a range of disciplines, including Health Studies, Indigenous Studies, Public and Population Health, Community Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work, this engaging text broadens the social determinants of health framework to better understand health inequality. Most importantly, it does so by placing front and center the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples.

<ENDORSEMENTS>

“Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health in Canada is a timely resource for educators of future health care professionals, policy-makers, and researchers through the use of transformative knowledge acquisition and application from Indigenous (two-eyed seeing) paradigms, while providing a thoughtful critique of Western discourse and its limitations when discussing Indigenous peoples’ health in Canada.”

—Danielle N. Soucy, Aboriginal Students Health Sciences, McMaster University

“This book offers new light, questioning our views about social determinants of health among Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is a creative text that I highly recommend.”

—Javier Mignone, Department of Family Social Sciences, University of Manitoba

“This book provides a welcome corrective to mainstream writings that present simplistic and essentialist views of both culture and Indigenous status and how these operate to influence the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. It is an ideal text for students, faculty, and practitioners across a range of disciplines concerned with health equity.”

—Star Mahara, School of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University

<ABOUT THE EDITORS>

Margo Greenwood is a Professor of Education and First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia, an Academic Leader at the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, and the Vice President of Aboriginal Health with the Northern Health Authority. Sarah de Leeuw is an Associate Professor in the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia and an Associate Professor in the School of Public and Population Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Nicole Marie Lindsay is a Doctoral Candidate in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University and a Research Associate at the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. Charlotte Reading is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria and the Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research.