The American Empire and the Fourth World: The Bowl With One Spoon (Mcgill-Queen's Native and Northern Series) (Pt. 1) [Hardcover]

Anthony J. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mcgill-Queen's Native and Northern Series | Publication Date: November 1, 2003

How should citizens of the world respond to the emergence of the United States as the planet's sole superpower and the military, commercial, and cultural centre of a new kind of global empire? This question poses the central dilemma of our time: How can we elaborate a global rule of law based on principles of equality and democracy when the world's most powerful polity seemingly acknowledges no higher authority in the international arena than its own domestic priorities? For Anthony Hall the answer lies in the concept of the Fourth World, an inclusive intellectual text covering a wide range of movements whose leaders have sought to implement alternative visions of globalization to those that have prevailed since the Columbian conquests began in 1492. Its basic principles include recognition of the inherent rights of all peoples to self-determination and a more just approach to the formulation and enforcement of international law."The American Empire and the Fourth World" argues that the current imperial role of the United States began at its founding. The Royal Proclamation of 1763, which offered a qualified recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights, infuriated many Anglo-American colonists. Their resulting sense of grievance was articulated in the Declaration of Independence which proclaims the 'inalienable rights' of 'all men' even as it accuses King George III of having 'endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian savages'. The United States has never faced, let alone resolved, this fundamental contradiction in its founding document. This failure manifested itself in the lawlessness and militarism that characterized US treatment of Indigenous peoples in the most formative phase of the country's frontier expansionism.The exclusion of 'savages' from the republic's founding ideals of human equality came increasingly to permeate US foreign policy, culminating in the ethnic and religious prejudices colouring the so-called War on Terrorism. "The American Empire and the Fourth World" presents comparative accounts of policies toward Aboriginals that have done much to shape the interconnected histories of the United States, Canada, Latin America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. This volume introduces a larger literary project entitled The Bowl with One Spoon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A very important book, full of challenging insights, fascinating information, and with a strong message." Boyce Richardson, author of People of Terra Nullius: Betrayal & Rebirth in Aboriginal Canada and Strangers Devour the Land "Hall has a wide-ranging grasp of the literature dealing with the philosophical and ideological underpinnings of both European and Indian that led to the formation of the Canadian and American societies of today. This study is both thorough and carefully worked out. I know of no other works that have synthesized such a range of thought on the establishment of the British empire in the Americas, its interweaving with indigenous politics, and the consequent rise of the United States and Canada." Olive Dickason, author of Canada's First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times

About the Author

Anthony J. Hall is the founding coordinator and associate professor, globalization studies, University of Lethbridge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr; First Edition edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773523324
• ISBN-13: 978-0773523326
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,293,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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