Brenda Macdougall, academic delegate for Indigenous engagement and director of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies, saw an opportunity. “We’re in a university, and people should be learning and really starting to think and process that information themselves,” she said. “It would be meaningful to read books by Indigenous authors and create space for real conversation.”
That idea became the Indigenous book club, an initiative to bring people together through shared reading and critical discussion. What began as a pilot is already being expanded, with a second round in development and more learning opportunities on the horizon.
Inside the Indigenous book club: format and approach
Two separate groups—one French-speaking, one English-speaking—met for six sessions, once every two weeks. As much as possible, books available in translation were selected and provided. Each group was moderated, first by Augatnaaq Eccles and then by Danielle Roy, who helped create a space where participants could speak openly, ask questions and explore difficult topics without judgment.
Rather than organize a lecture series, Macdougall built the club around shared reading and dialogue. She paired fiction and non-fiction deliberately: academic texts to provide historical and conceptual framing, and creative works to convey lived experience and emotion. The two forms together offered different entry points into Indigenous realities, and helped participants connect both intellectually and personally.
Each session focused on a theme, guiding participants through a progression of topics. Discussions were held in person around a table, often with coffee, tea and beautifully prepared snacks from Pâtisserie Kisisâm by pastry chef Dominique Lalonde, an Oji-Cree First Nation chef from Sachigo Lake. The setting was relaxed, but the conversations were thoughtful and challenging.
What participants learned about Indigenous identity
Participants came from across the university—some with prior knowledge, others just beginning. The discussions encouraged openness and reflection. One participant said the club provided the tools and confidence to enter conversations this person had long avoided. Others expressed a desire to explore certain themes in more depth in the future.
Kelly-Anne Maddox, lead research adviser, Faculty of Arts, says, “One of the most important things I took away from the book club was understanding just how widespread and damaging the phenomenon of pretendians has become.”
The impact went beyond the sessions themselves. Some participants began connecting over Indigenous events and art across the city. Several asked whether more focused discussions could happen around specific issues. “These are learning opportunities for whoever wants to join,” says Macdougall. “It’s about building community through genuine conversation.”
“These are learning opportunities for whoever [wants] to join. It’s about building community through genuine conversation.”
Brenda Macdougall
— Director of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies
Future plans
A second round of the book club is planned for the fall and a third in the winter, this time running over an academic term, again in both French and English. Macdougall is also thinking about other potential formats: themed reading groups, article-based discussions or film screenings. These are not replacements for the book club, but ways to broaden how people engage, recognizing that there are many ways to learn and participants who’ll want to continue their engagement with new challenges.
Macdougall says that the project came together thanks to the support of many colleagues. The Indigenous Affairs team, especially Tareyn Johnson and Darren Sutherland, provided feedback and offered their insight throughout the planning process. “They gave me as much support as I needed but also the freedom to run with it,” she said. She also credited the central communications team and event co-ordination staff, who helped with outreach and logistics. “It speaks to why these communities of work matter—because you can rely on each other.”
What began with one idea is now shaping up as something larger: a space for critical curiosity, cultural exchange and a shared commitment to understanding.
Complete reading list: Books on Indigenous identity and pretendianism
Inuit knowledge systems
- Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: What Inuit Have Always Known to Be True (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Ce que les Inuits savent depuis toujours) — Joe Karetak, Frank Tester, Shirley Tagalik
- Split Tooth — Tanya Tagaq
(Croc fendu — Tanya Tagaq)
First Nations
- Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City (Structures indifférence: Vie et mort d'un Autochtone dans une ville canadienne) — Mary Jane Logan McCallum and Adele Perry
- The Chronicles of Kitchike — Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui
(Chroniques de Kitchike)
Métis
- Métis: Race, Recognition, and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoplehood — Chris Andersen
- The Break and The Strangers — Katherena Vermette
(Ligne brisée and Les femmes Strangers)
Understanding Indigeneity
- Indigenous Writes (Écrits Autochtones. Comprendre les enjeux des Premières Nations, des Métis et des Inuit au Canada) — Chelsea Vowel
- Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life In Canada — Michelle Good
(Écrits Autochtones)
Pretendian scholarship
- Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science — Kim TallBear
- Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity — Darryl Leroux
(Ascendance détournée : Quand les Blancs revendiquent une identité autochtone)
Pretendians in the news
- Independent reading and discussion based on recent cases and media reports