Decolonizing Public Places - (The City Project) by Alex Judge & Sadie Lavoie (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Through acts of resistance and resurgence, Indigenous people are reclaiming public places in Winnipeg.

In Decolonizing Public Places, Sadie Lavoie explores the history of Indigenous resistance within Winnipeg since Idle No More in 2012, and how that protest played a pivotal role in the Indigenous cultural resurgence of reclaiming space within the city. Lavoie uses their experience to uncover how Indigenous people used places and spaces to revive their decolonial narratives from Indigenous ways of living, knowing and being. As public space in Winnipeg is reclaimed, Lavoie discovers how this newfound inclusion is shaping relationships within Indigenous communities, as well as how this movement connects Indigenous nations with their co-existing treaty partners.

Decolonizing Public Places is part of The City Project, a series edited by Emma and Michel Durand-Wood.

About the Author

Alex Judge is a Winnipegger born and bred, except for a brief stint living in Montreal and a year in the Cabbagetown district of Toronto. In addition to her day job, Alex co-hosts the One Great History podcast, which presents the great, not-so-great, and just plain bizarre stories of Manitoba history. Alex was presented with a Winnipeg 150 medal in 2024 for her work on the show. When not at the archives, Alex enjoys crafting, mystery novels and a newfound interest in woodworking.

Michel lives in the Winnipeg neighbourhood of Elmwood with his wife and three children, and he writes about infrastructure and municipal finance at DearWinnipeg.com. His writing has been featured extensively online and in print, including Strong Towns, Streetsblog USA, CBC, The Winnipeg Free Press and La Liberté.