Scales of Resistance

"In Scales of Resistance, Blackwell rethinks scale beyond solely its colonial and masculinist forms by centering Indigenous women’s organizing and geographies. By highlighting the work that Indigenous women (sometimes migrants) do at varying scales, as well as the creation of new scales based on their readings of power in different places and their own cosmovisions, Blackwell’s book is an important corrective to scalar analyses that invisibilize marginalized actors." - Rebekah Kartal (Antipode) "Overall, Scales of Resistance is an invaluable contribution to social science and humanities literature. Blackwell’s rigorous analyses and insightful observations provide amuch-needed account of the vital roles of Indigenous women’s agency and activism in the Americas and in what will always be their forever home. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals." - T. M. Montoya (Choice)

"The strength of the theoretical argument lies in the interaction between the various case studies explored in the chapters, as well as in their interrelation among struggles, allowing for an exploration of the different scales of indigenous women’s organization and considering them as interconnected rather than separated by national or political borders. ... While the opening up of the concepts of scale and boundary remains a major theoretical contribution, [Scales of Resistance] also subtly showcases the strength of indigenous women’s movements and their repertoire of rich, diverse, and unique actions, constituting an equally important empirical contribution."

- Andreanne Brunet-Belanger (Journal of Borderlands Studies) “Scales of Resistance is a powerful work that unpacks the intricate dynamics of Indigenous women’s activism across, within, and through a myriad of scales. The book has con­tributed powerfully to a feminist geographic lens by providing a needed critical per­spective on decolonial understandings of space.” - Lucas Belury (Gender, Place & Culture) “Maylei Blackwell’s Scales of Resistance is a monumental intellectual contribution to community-based collaborative research in Indigenous studies and critical race studies. Theoretically complex and complete, as well as full of heart, this book asks to be read in small increments, digested, then revisited, then reflected upon to arrive at a full recognition of its singular impact.” - Gayatri Devi (Resources for Gender and Women's Studies) "Scales of Resistance is a project of hope and a testament to the strength of Indigenous women’s activism . . . a real contribution to Indigenous scholarship, transborder studies, and feminist analysis." - Maylei Blackwell (Anthropological Notebooks) "Blackwell makes critical interventions in the areas of women’s activism, solidarity, and ethical approaches to research with Indigenous peoples. She brilliantly highlights the often unseen, long-term, and highly skilled activism by Indigenous women. Her work will be helpful to scholars who are using ethnographic methods and working in American studies, anthropology, feminist studies, Latin American studies, and sociology." - Patricia Zavella (Aztlán) "This is a fascinating book that weaves together many areas of social justice for Indigenous women. It shows the power of grassroots organizing and the ability to navigate complex political areas and social factors, transforming obstacles into geographically expanding and changing blueprints for the future. Scales of Resistance shows the untiring, creative tenacity of Indigenous women to organize despite social, political, and cultural odds." - Yoly Zentella (Journal of Global South Studies) "The theoretical insights of the book are many, and readers will benefit from Blackwell’s critical engagement with the terminology of meshworks, (un)scalability, gendered comunalidad, and the distinctions of the transborder and the transnational. Additionally, I was nourished by the deep care that this book exudes." - Kenna Neitch (Signs) "The decolonization of Western knowledge is a tall order, but one that Maylei Blackwell successfully fills in Scales of Resistance. . . . Scales of Resistance is a remarkable record of Indigenous women’s organizing across the hemisphere and of Blackwell’s documentation, accompaniment, and theorization." - Lynn Stephen (Native American and Indigenous Studies)