Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality

"Why is racial formation theory insufficient to explain the complexities of urban Indigenous identity today? Sociologists have been far too slow to engage theories of settler-colonialism or to take seriously the experiences of Indigenous peoples in their own terms. Drawing on detailed interviews and observations and situating her analyses across multiple vectors of historical experience, Jacobs presents a view of the complexities of contemporary Indigenous identity that beautifully bridges key conversations in sociology and Indigenous studies." ~Kari Marie Norgaard, author Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People: Nature Colonialism and Social Action

"Jacobs writes on the erasure of Indigenous Peoples and Urban Indians from deeply informed research and personal experience that shows us how settler discourse and dominant paradigms still operate to marginalize and silence Native voices and perspectives, particularly on mascotry issues, identity claims and internal politics….Jacobs reflects the diversity of Native people and Indigenous identity issues with professional accuracy and intercultural awareness." ~James V. Fenelon, author of Redskins?: Sport Mascots, Indian Nations and White Racism

"Through narration and sociological analyses, Jacobs offers the reader fascinating accounts of both Indigenous memories and urban realities for Native people living in Northeast Ohio. The voices in Jacobs’ accessible and informative book speak to the importance of ancestry, spirituality, homelands, powwows, and organizations in contemporary Indigenous America which she shows in all of its complexity, contradictions, and community." ~Joane Nagel, author of Race, Ethnicity, and Sexuality: Intimate Intersections, Forbidden Frontiers

"Jacobs (Wayne State Univ.) has written a splendid analysis of contemporary urban Indigenous and Indigenous-identifying residents in the area around Cleveland, OH, living under the conditions of white domination . . . Jacobs combines sociological categories and vignettes of over 30 people to examine the complexity of these two groups’ identities." ~C. T. Vecsey, Colgate University

"Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality richly documents identity formation, social boundaries, and the processes of 'making' race as they unfold in one Midwestern urban Indigenous community. The book does so with vital attention to settler colonialism’s role in forming, maintaining, and reproducing Indigenous identity. We can never discount settler colonialism’s impact on Indigenous lives, nor experiences of marginalization more generally. Jacobs opens the door for many different lines of inquiry across cultural sociology, urban studies, and race and ethnicity."" ~Sociology of Race and Ethnicity