A review by lancakes
Storying Violence: Unravelling Colonial Narratives in the Stanley Trial by Gina Starblanket, Dallas Hunt

5.0

I wasn't taught anything about the colonisation of the prairies (besides the Canada-centric story of "expansion westward" that washes away colonial violence from the socials studies textbooks with euphemisms, omissions and outright lies). Starblanket does a great job of laying out the history of the post-contact prairies and the myths and policies that were weaponised to "clear" the plains. Starblanket then expertly applies this historical lens to analyse the Gerald Stanley's trial for the murder of Colten Boushie. I could do an impoverished recap of the arguments, but you should just pick up the book, it's like 100 tiny pages! Basically: the same racist shit settlers were saying about Indigenous people 150 years ago cropped up in the trial, the same stereotypes and the same assumption of white innocence and neutrality. The judicial system is still by and for property holding white dudes.

Solidly logical arguments (unlike my recap), written accessibly.