Geographies of Indigenous children and youth [citation] : a critical review grounded in spaces of the colonial nation-state

This chapter considers the specific role of young Indigenous peoples within historic colonial and neocolonial efforts of building and maintaining nation-states. Although these efforts have unfolded around the world, theoretical discussions in the chapter are grounded in specific examples from Canada, with some reference to New Zealand (Aotearoa), Australia, and the United States. The chapter begins by exploring the very idea of Indigeneity, followed in the second and third sections by an investigation of Indigenous children in the discipline of geography. The chapter then provides an overview of nations and nation-states, followed by a discussion about the place of children and youth in the construction and continuance of these nation-states. The fifth section of the chapter offers examples of new – often decolonizing – roles of young Indigenous people within contemporary geographies. The chapter concludes with thoughts about where and how to extend future discussions in human geography so as to more fully and significantly account for the unique places and roles of Indigenous children and youth in the neocolonial work and spaces of nation-states and beyond.

Keywords: Indigenous children and youth Nation building Colonialism