Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal (Indians of the Southeast) [Hardcover]

James Taylor Carson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Indians of the Southeast | Publication Date: December 1, 1999

Blending an engaging narrative style with broader theoretical considerations, James Taylor Carson offers the most complete history to date of the Mississippi Choctaws. Tracing the Choctaws from their origins in the Mississippian cultures of late prehistory to the early nineteenth century, Carson shows how the Choctaws struggled to adapt to life in a New World altered radically by contact while retaining their sense of identity and place. Despite changes in subsistence practices and material culture, the Choctaws made every effort to retain certain core cultural beliefs and sensibilities, a strategy they conceived of as following “the straight bright path.” This work also makes a significant theoretical contribution to ethnohistory as Carson confronts common problems in the historical analysis of Native peoples.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A model of clarity and concision.”—William and Mary Quarterly

(William and Mary Quarterly )

“Carson provides an unusually balanced and nuanced interpretation of the Choctaws’ experience from prehistoric times to the removal from their homeland that began in 1830. . . . This study offers an important corrective to what has been an oversimplified historical picture.”—Canadian Journal of History

(Canadian Journal of History )

“The genius of the work is the author’s ability to weave the account of Choctaw history around major themes in Choctaw tradition, or what he calls ‘moral economy.’ . . . It also provides valuable new insights into the dynamics of culture and historical change.”—The Journal of Southern History

(The Journal of Southern History )

From the Inside Flap

"A model of clarity and concision." —William and Mary Quarterly.

"Carson provides an unusually balanced and nuanced interpretation of the Choctaws’ experience from prehistoric times to the removal from their homeland that began in 1830. . . . This study offers an important corrective to what has been an oversimplified historical picture."—Canadian Journal of History.

"The genius of the work is the author’s ability to weave the account of Choctaw history around major themes in Choctaw tradition, or what he calls ‘moral economy.’ . . . It also provides valuable new insights into the dynamics of culture and historical change."—The Journal of Southern History.

Blending an engaging narrative style with broader theoretical considerations, James Taylor Carson offers the most complete history to date of the Mississippi Choctaws. Tracing the Choctaws from their origins in the Mississippian cultures of late prehistory to the early nineteenth century, Carson shows how the Choctaws struggled to adapt to life in a New World altered radically by contact while retaining their sense of identity and place. Despite changes in subsistence practices and material culture, the Choctaws made every effort to retain certain core cultural beliefs and sensibilities, a strategy they conceived of as following "the straight bright path." This work also makes a significant theoretical contribution to ethnohistory as Carson confronts common problems in the historical analysis of Native peoples. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803215037
• ISBN-13: 978-0803215030
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,898,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Choctaw history and culture, January 21, 2012

By 

Truth Seeker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal (Indians of the Southeast) (Paperback)

This book is different from other books about Native American History. It is well written from the Choctaw point of view. Carson takes the time to explain not just the series of events that lead to the Choctaw removal, but how the cultural and spiritual understanding effected their decision making. With this book, you get well researched history explained from a cultural perspective. I highly recommend this book!