Framing Borders: Principle and Practicality in the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory

"This is a thought-provoking study. Though most scholarly attention to borderlands dynamics focuses on the conflicts inherent in such crossings, Kalman’s work reveals the far more nuanced nature of these interactions, predicated on the ways in which the various actors frame themselves in these often banal contacts. Ultimately, he shows, the diverse nature of these interactions—ranging from tense confrontational hassles to joking camaraderie—reveals ‘just how far into everyday life settler colonialism penetrates’ (p. 201). Kalman’s exposure and analysis of these micro-level ripple effects of macro-level historical developments make this a valuable contribution to an evolving body of scholarship."

M. R. Scherer, University of Nebraska-Omaha, CHOICE

"What if North America’s borders only exist in the context of the conversations we have with customs officers and port authorities? We rarely know when we have crossed the invisible line itself, but we do know when the conversation with the border services officer has ended and we are free to keep moving. That is, ‘crossing a border is often more a matter of which side of a conversation you find yourself on than which side of a line.’ This provocative insight is at the heart of anthropologist Ian Kalman’s excellent book Framing Borders."

Sheila McManus, University of Lethbridge, Canadian Journal of History

"Settler colonialism is often understood in grand terms through structures, identities, and ideologies of power. Ian Kalman, in his granular study of borders and border crossing, offers a thoughtful reappraisal of Indigenous peoples’ justice claims and contests, one based on ‘ordinary’ interaction and improvisation. As the account unfolds, his realism takes on another quality: a rich, nuanced account of power and resistance, with ambitious themes drawn out by close attention to the everyday."

Ronald Niezen, Professor of Anthropology, McGill University

"Ian Kalman has done an admirable job of capturing the complexities of the local situation at the Akwesasne border with an emphasis on flexibility, framing, and one-mindedness. Framing Borders makes a convincing case for its fundamental claim that border scholarship needs to interrogate more closely the ways in which various border actors organize their activities and interactions around their respective conceptual constructions of what constitutes a border."

Jon W. Parmenter, Associate Professor of History, Cornell University