The Relationship between Marxism and Indigenous Struggles and Implications of the Theoretical Framework for International Indigenous Struggles

TLDR: The Red Skin, White Masks (RSW) as discussed by the authors is a seminal work in the study of the political economic effects of settler-colonialism on Indigenous peoples in North America, where Coulthard charts a way forward for Indigenous activism outside the state, eschewing the politics of recognition.

Abstract: Glen Coulthard’s masterly work, Red Skin, White Masks , raises the theoretical work of Indigenous scholarship in North America to a new level, bringing Marxism into the mix in looking at the political-economic effects of settler-colonialism on Indigenous peoples in North America. He charts a way forward for Indigenous activism outside the state, eschewing the politics of recognition. In addition to assessing Coulthard’s perspective on Marxism, this paper poses questions about privileging Indigenous social movements without addressing the national question and without including the role of the robust international Indigenous movement that has entered its fortieth year.