Anthropological Attempts at Indigenous-Settler Relations

Abstract

Anthropology, similar to many social sciences, has been criticized for its coloniality, both historically and presently. Despite being 'well-informed' regarding Indigenous-settler relations, modern anthropologists often continue to (knowingly or unknowingly) exacerbate the unequal power structures of coloniality that make this method of research historically infamous. In this essay, I will attempt to demonstrate through varying examples by Simpson, Noble, and Liboiron, that while anthropologists do possess higher power when interacting with Indigenous communities and knowledge, there is a solution in sight. Using discussion of Indigenous-settler relations in micro and macro terms as well as examples from both Noble and Simpson‘s work, I attempt to prove that Liboiron‘s framework for anticolonial science is necessary for anthropology.