ABOUT THIS BOOK

There is powerful evidence that the colonization of Indigenous people was and is a crime, and that that crime is on-going. Achieving historical colonial goals often meant committing acts that were criminal even at the time. The consequences of this oppression and criminal victimization is perhaps the critical factor explaining why Indigenous people today are overrepresented as victims and offenders in the settler colonist criminal justice systems. This book presents an analysis of the relationship between these colonial crimes and their continuing criminal and social consequences that exist today. The authors focus primarily on countries colonized by Britain, especially the United States. Social harm theory, human rights covenants, and law are used to explain the criminal aspects of the historical laws and their continued effects. The final chapter looks at the responsibilities of settler-colonists in ameliorating these harms and the actions currently being taken by Indigenous people themselves.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

MARIANNE O. NIELSEN is a professor of criminology at Northern Arizona University. She is the co-editor of Crime and Social Justice in Indian Country (University of Arizona Press, 2018).

LINDA M. ROBYN is a professor of criminology at Northern Arizona University and the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles on environmental crime, violence against women, and other topics.

REVIEWS

“The authors of Colonialism is Crime did an exceptional job of analyzing criminal acts within the context of contemporary standards of international law and human rights violations. I was immensely impressed with this book, and am confident that it will fill a major void in the criminological literature.”

— Gary W. Potter, Eastern Kentucky University

"This book adds a significant voice to the argument regarding colonization as crime and colonization as the root of injustice for Indigenous peoples. Importantly, it furthers the assertion that colonization is ongoing."

— Cheryl Bennett, contributor to Crime and Social Justice in Indian Country

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
1          Introduction: Crimes Against Indigenous Peoples, 1
2          Breaking and Bending the Law Historically, 45
3          Fraud, Theft, and the Trail of Broken Treaties, 71
4          Massacres to Murder: Violence Against Indigenous Peoples, 112
5          Institutionalized Torture and Pedophilia: Boarding Schools for Indigenous Children, 147
6          Conquest by Rape and Violence: Crimes against Indigenous Women, 193
7          The Conestoga Indians, Hate Crimes, and Domestic Terrorism, 245
8         Stolen Land to Stolen Oil: The Theft of Indigenous Political Economies, 275
9          Would You Drink This Water?: Crimes of Pollution and Toxic Dumping on Indigenous Lands, 301
10        Fighting Back: Colonial Settler Responsibilities and Indigenous Action, 333
Bibliography, 371
Index
About the Authors