Indian Act 150: Call for Submissions

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Indian Act 150: Call for Submissions

Proposal Deadline: 20 March 2026

“Environmental Dimensions”

April 12, 2026 will mark 150 years since the Canadian government passed the Indian Act, the cornerstone of the legislative apparatus that continues to govern Indigenous-settler relations in the country today. The Act has played, and continues to play, a fundamental role in the trajectory of this settler-colonial state. Its 150th year can also provide an impetus for consideration and reflection.

NiCHE has partnered with Active History to provide some environmental focused histories of the Indian Act and its widespread implications to their Indian Act 150 series. Indian Act 150 is a year-long series published with Active History that calls attention to the anniversary of a piece of formative legislation, one that today’s liberal state would rather ignore. The series invites authors to consider the 150-year-long history of the Indian Act, the histories that have been produced about it, and the future of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada.

The environmental dimensions of the Indian Act remain an underexplored area of scholarship rich with potential for further investigation. We invite posts that examine how the Act shaped relations between Indigenous peoples, animals, land, and natural resources. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the creation of reserves, land dispossession, restricted hunting and fishing, colonial conservation, the disruption and suppression of Indigenous land-based knowledge, or other broad reflections that examine how governance structures established under the Indian Act have produced lasting environmental consequences.

The Indian Act 150 series mandate is broad, and we are interested in incorporating posts of ~700-1500 words that draw from a range of sources, including past or present research and writings, work as an academic or public educator, personal opinions and experiences, or family histories and narratives. These categories are meant to serve as examples; we invite and encourage posts on the history and histories of the Indian Act that draw inspiration from elsewhere. Scholars from all stages of their career (students, postdocs, early career, professors, etc) are encouraged to contribute.

Contributors who publish a post for this series with NiCHE will be shared on Active History’s platform as well as on The Otter.

NiCHE, in partnership with Active History, is currently seeking authors to contribute to the series from May to December of 2026. If you are interested in authoring an article, please contact Heather Green (heather.green@smu.ca) with a brief proposal (max. 200 words) that outlines the topic you wish discuss in your article by March 30th 2026. Heather will work with the Active History series editors, Katie Carson and Sarah Kittilsen, to share your post across both platforms.

Feature Image: “Grass” by apdk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Heather Green

Heather Green is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Saint Mary's University. She is interested in the intersections of environmental and Indigenous histories, histories of Indigenous and Settler Relations, and mining history, particularly in the Canadian North. You can connect with her on twitter @heathergreen21.

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