{"product_id":"the-great-land-thomas-michael-swensen-9780295755571","title":"The Great Land: An Indigenous History of Alaska","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlaska's past is often told through Russian and US imperial histories. In \u003ci\u003eThe Great Land\u003c\/i\u003e author Thomas Michael Swensen overturns those narratives by reconstructing Alaska's history from Indigenous perspectives, showing how Native communities forged the region's political, economic, and cultural foundations. He constructs a timeline based on Indigenous archives, oral traditions, and Native-authored sources--what he terms \u003ci\u003efirst space\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeginning with Indigenous encounters with Russian expeditions in Unangan territory in the 1740s, Swensen traces how key features of modern Alaska emerged from Indigenous labor and knowledge. The book demonstrates that after being drawn into coercive relationships with the Russian American Company, Native people navigated the territory's transfer to the United States in 1867 and engaged democratic institutions to pursue citizenship and political influence by the early twentieth century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcross more than two and a half centuries, Alaska Native communities defined the region and state's cultural and political life--from designing the state flag to leading movements that culminated in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The book details that through statehood, Cold War tensions, and the \u003ci\u003eExxon Valdez\u003c\/i\u003e oil spill, Indigenous people articulated cultural beliefs and practices that are central to Alaska's political life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy framing Alaska as an Indigenous homeland rather than a colonial frontier, \u003ci\u003eThe Great Land\u003c\/i\u003e offers a powerful new understanding of how Native peoples shaped the modern Alaskan state.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Thomas Michael Swensen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0295755571\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780295755571\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Washington Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Thomas Michael Swensen","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48743147438335,"sku":"9780295755571","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-great-land-thomas-michael-swensen-9780295755571","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}