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The Audacity of His EnterpriseLouis Riel and the Métis Nation That Canada Never Was, 1840–1875 |
eBook Available
Shining a spotlight on the life, vision, and cultivation of one of Canada's most influential historical figures.
Louis Riel (1844-1885) was an iconic figure in Canadian history best known for his roles in the Red River Resistance of 1869 and the Northwest Resistance of 1885. A political leader of the Métis people of the Canadian Prairies, Riel is often portrayed as a rebel. Reconstructing his experiences in the Northwest, Quebec, and the worlds in between, Max Hamon revisits Riel's life through his own eyes, illuminating how he and the Métis were much more involved in state-making than historians have previously acknowledged.
Questioning the drama of resistance, The Audacity of His Enterprise highlights Riel's part in the negotiations, petition claims, and legal battles that led to the formation of the state from the bottom up. Hamon examines Riel's early successes and his participation in the crafting of a new political environment in the Northwest and Canada. Arguing that Riel viewed the Métis as a distinct people, not caught between worlds, the book demonstrates Riel's attempts to integrate multiple perspectives - Indigenous, French-Canadian, American, and British - into a new political environment. Choosing to end the book in 1875, at the pinnacle of Riel's successful career as a political leader, rather than at his death in 1885, Hamon sets out to recover Riel's agency, intentions, and imagination, all of which have until now been displaced by colonial narratives and the shadow of his execution.
Revisiting the Red River Resistance on its 150th anniversary, The Audacity of His Enterprise offers a new view of Riel's life and a rethinking of the history of colonialism.
Questioning the drama of resistance, The Audacity of His Enterprise highlights Riel's part in the negotiations, petition claims, and legal battles that led to the formation of the state from the bottom up. Hamon examines Riel's early successes and his participation in the crafting of a new political environment in the Northwest and Canada. Arguing that Riel viewed the Métis as a distinct people, not caught between worlds, the book demonstrates Riel's attempts to integrate multiple perspectives - Indigenous, French-Canadian, American, and British - into a new political environment. Choosing to end the book in 1875, at the pinnacle of Riel's successful career as a political leader, rather than at his death in 1885, Hamon sets out to recover Riel's agency, intentions, and imagination, all of which have until now been displaced by colonial narratives and the shadow of his execution.
Revisiting the Red River Resistance on its 150th anniversary, The Audacity of His Enterprise offers a new view of Riel's life and a rethinking of the history of colonialism.
Details
432 Pages, 6 x 9
9 b&w images, 1 table, 1 map
ISBN 9780773559370
January 2020
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"The Audacity of His Enterprise is a sophisticated and humanizing biography of an iconic figure in Canadian history set within the context of his times." Jean Barman, University of British Columbia and author of Iroquois in the West
"Hamon has produced a biography of innovative and constructive insight, which will reshape how we view the historic importance and contribution of Louis Riel." Prairie History
"This book approaches Louis Riel's story in a fresh and innovative way. The sensational aspects of Riel's life - the Red River Resistance of 1869-70 and the battles and trial of 1885 - have drawn the most attention. But Max Hamon follows another path, ... illuminating many previously obscure corners of Riel's first thirty years." Canadian Historical Review
"This is the most insightful biography of Louis Riel to date. Finally we have a biography that actually seeks to explore parts of Riel's life in a way that is inquisitive and that provokes reflection. Compared to some earlier efforts, it's a welcome relief. Riel is arguably one of the most famous men in Canadian history, but he is also poorly understood. Hamon has added an array of useful analysis and information to the Riel canon. The book is well-researched with new material, and it is well worth the read." Canada's History
“In a much-needed intervention in the scholarship on Métis leader Louis Riel, M. Max Hamon successfully brings Riel’s agency to the forefront in this work. Hamon challenges the tragic narrative of previous biographies on Riel while bringing significant information to the broader knowledge regarding Red River’s political and cultural structures.” Ethnohistory
“The Audacity of His Enterprise is a well-written, well-researched book that corrects some of the misperceptions of Riel. Moreover, its publication is timely as the 150'h anniversary of the founding of Manitoba is a unique occasion to reflect on Riel's role and lifework.” Canadian Journal of Native Studies
"Hamon has produced a biography of innovative and constructive insight, which will reshape how we view the historic importance and contribution of Louis Riel." Prairie History
"This book approaches Louis Riel's story in a fresh and innovative way. The sensational aspects of Riel's life - the Red River Resistance of 1869-70 and the battles and trial of 1885 - have drawn the most attention. But Max Hamon follows another path, ... illuminating many previously obscure corners of Riel's first thirty years." Canadian Historical Review
"This is the most insightful biography of Louis Riel to date. Finally we have a biography that actually seeks to explore parts of Riel's life in a way that is inquisitive and that provokes reflection. Compared to some earlier efforts, it's a welcome relief. Riel is arguably one of the most famous men in Canadian history, but he is also poorly understood. Hamon has added an array of useful analysis and information to the Riel canon. The book is well-researched with new material, and it is well worth the read." Canada's History
“In a much-needed intervention in the scholarship on Métis leader Louis Riel, M. Max Hamon successfully brings Riel’s agency to the forefront in this work. Hamon challenges the tragic narrative of previous biographies on Riel while bringing significant information to the broader knowledge regarding Red River’s political and cultural structures.” Ethnohistory
“The Audacity of His Enterprise is a well-written, well-researched book that corrects some of the misperceptions of Riel. Moreover, its publication is timely as the 150'h anniversary of the founding of Manitoba is a unique occasion to reflect on Riel's role and lifework.” Canadian Journal of Native Studies
M. Max Hamon is a lecturer and research affiliate at McGill University and a lecturer in the Department of History at Queen's University.
Table and Figures / vii
Preface: Riel and the Resistance / ix
Acknowledgments / xiii
Introduction: An Argument / 3
1 Family of a Métis Nation / 20
2 Métis Government: From Sayer to Miller / 40
3 Métis Leadership Transformed / 64
4 The Collège de Montréal / 83
5 Louis Riel’s Education / 102
6 A Study in “Civilization” / 131
7 The Public Sphere of Red River / 142
8 A Wind of Revolution Blows / 160
9 The Storm Is on the Horizon / 189
10 A Network Approach to Confederation / 204
11 Red River Networks / 223
12 The Amnesty Issue / 235
13 The Sine Qua Non of Confederation / 254
Conclusion / 268
Notes / 273
Bibliography / 361
Index / 405
Preface: Riel and the Resistance / ix
Acknowledgments / xiii
Introduction: An Argument / 3
1 Family of a Métis Nation / 20
2 Métis Government: From Sayer to Miller / 40
3 Métis Leadership Transformed / 64
4 The Collège de Montréal / 83
5 Louis Riel’s Education / 102
6 A Study in “Civilization” / 131
7 The Public Sphere of Red River / 142
8 A Wind of Revolution Blows / 160
9 The Storm Is on the Horizon / 189
10 A Network Approach to Confederation / 204
11 Red River Networks / 223
12 The Amnesty Issue / 235
13 The Sine Qua Non of Confederation / 254
Conclusion / 268
Notes / 273
Bibliography / 361
Index / 405
Winner
Wilson Book Prize/Prix du livre de l'Institut Wilson
L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History
2019
Winner
Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française
Prix de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec
2020
Finalist
Quebec Writers Federation
Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
2020
Wilson Book Prize/Prix du livre de l'Institut Wilson
L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History
2019
Winner
Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française
Prix de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec
2020
Finalist
Quebec Writers Federation
Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
2020
