shado's Bookshelf Cluster 03:
Indigenous Resistance Movements
Jan – March 2023
The theme for our third cluster, hosted once more by the brilliant Sharlene Gandhi, is Indigenous Resistance Movements and the fight for water in North America. We will be exploring topics related to colonialism, climate justice, Indigenous knowledge and grassroots organising.
Session 1: Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Müller
Session 2: There’s Something in the Water by Ingrid R.G. Waldron
Session 3: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In two of the sessions we will be joined by activists with lived experience of current Indigenous movements for land and water sovereignty.
We are aiming for our sessions to be conversation-led and informal, where everyone can feel safe and empowered enough to bring their own ideas, thoughts and reflections!
Rather than reading the whole book, we'll be asking people to read a short extract and then we will use that extract to explore the topic and themes throughout the rest of the session.
Sessions
Session 1:
Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Müller
An inspiring memoir from renowned Cree environmental activist Clayton Thomas-Müller, who escaped the world of drugs and gang life to take up the warrior’s fight against the assault on Indigenous peoples’ lands—and eventually the warrior’s spirituality.
Tying together personal stories of survival that bring the realities of the First Nations of this land into sharp focus, and lessons learned from a career as a frontline activist committed to addressing environmental injustice at a global scale, Clayton offers a narrative and vision of healing and responsibility.
*NB: Session will also include talk by Clayton Thomas-Müller
Session 2:
There’s Something in the Water by Ingrid R.G. Waldron
There’s Something In The Water examines the legacy of environmental racism and its health impacts in Indigenous and Black communities in Canada, using Nova Scotia as a case study, and the grassroots resistance activities by Indigenous and Black communities against the pollution and poisoning of their communities.
Session 3:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass is a series of nature essays that weaves in memoir and Indigenous storytelling. Robin Kimmerer shows how other living beings - asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass - offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices.
This session will go into the colonial history of North America and legacies of resistance from Indigenous communities past and present.
Book Club Perks
By signing up to our 3-month cluster, all attendees will get access to unique resources and personalised newsletters where we will share information about the book club, calls to action and resources related to the theme.
All members will also receive a special welcome box, filled with books and goods from some of our favourite brands and businesses including
Book Club Reviews
The shado book club was an intellectually stimulating experience which encouraged me to read material and consider ideas which I knew little about-this was really helpful and I’m so glad I did it I can’t wait to be involved in the future!
I’m so glad that I joined shado’s bookshelf! I wanted to learn more about the theme of Caste and Identity, as it’s something I knew very little about. Through the book extracts and monthly discussions with other members from around the world, I now have a much better understanding of the topic. I’m so looking forward to more sessions that explore equally fascinating and important themes, and meeting like-minded people.
shado provided a safe and inclusive space to read and learn about India's caste system, the issues it creates for the people forces to live by its confines, and the ways activists, journalists and scholars are fighting to dismantle and subvert this system. The bookclub also challenged many of the racist and sexist rhetoric around caste by introducing readers to diverse and inclusive voices and materials during its three-month run. I highly recommend their bookclub to anyone looking for nuanced readings and conversations about pressing issues. I look forward to their explorations on sex work in September in the wake of the many crackdowns on online sex work over the last five years.
The bookshelf cluster on Indigenous Resistance movements is sponsored by GoClimate. Protecting the link between humans and the natural world is not only important but absolutely crucial to fight climate change. With Indigenous People being the protectors of that bond, while on the very frontlines of the climate crisis, GoClimate are more than happy to support this theme and initiative by Shado.
GoClimate is a social company fighting climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They always keep climate justice in mind and operate with 100% transparency.
Past Book Clubs
