Since the 1950s the federal government has mounted a series of initiatives to address the social, economic, and political marginality of Canadian Natives. These initiatives have had a fundamental and often negative impact on Native communities, often as a result of the intense resistance they have generated. Dealing with these developments has gradually altered the character of anthropologists' work. Professional anthropologists are no longer confined to working in universities or museums but are to be found involved in advocacy work as consultants or as salaried employees of band and tribal councils, provincial and national aboriginal peoples' organizations, and a variety of federal and provincial government agencies. The traditional anthropological practice of "participant observation" has shifted towards increased "participation."

The essays in Anthropology, Public Policy, and Native Peoples in Canada provide a comprehensive evaluation of past, present, and future forms of anthropological involvement in public policy issues that affect Native peoples in Canada. The contributing authors, who include social scientists and politicians from both Native and non-Native backgrounds, use their experience to assess the theory and practice of anthropological participation in and observation of relations between aboriginal peoples and governments in Canada. They trace the strengths and weaknesses of traditional forms of anthropological fieldwork and writing, as well as offering innovative solutions to some of the challenges confronting anthropologists working in this domain.

In addition to Noel Dyck and James Waldram, the contributing authors are Peggy Martin Brizinski, Julie Cruikshank, Peter Douglas Elias, Julia D. Harrison, Ron Ignace, Joseph M. Kaufert, Patricia Leyland Kaufert, William W. Koolage, John O'Neil, Joe Sawchuk, Colin H. Scott, Derek G. Smith, George Speck, Renee Taylor, Peter J. Usher, and Sally M. Weaver.