''Stolen Continents'' is a 1992 non-fiction book by

Ronald Wright Ronald Wright (born 1948, London, England) is a Canadian author who has written books of travel, history and fiction. His nonfiction includes the bestseller ''Stolen Continents'', winner of the Gordon Montador Award and chosen as a book of the ...

that covers the colonial theft of land between 1492 and 1990. It specific focuses on activities directed towards the

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popu ...

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admi ...

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

, and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

peoples. The book won the

Gordon Montador Award The Gordon Montador Award was a Canadian literary award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to honour non-fiction writing on social issues. Created in 1991 in memory of book editor and publisher Gordon Montador,"Award announced". '' The Glob ...

in 1993.

Synopsis

''Stolen Continents'' covers the period 1492 to 1990 and documents five examples of the colonial theft of land from

, and

people. Wright breaks each example into three stages: initial contact, violent struggles, and modern resistance. The book uses contemporary accounts from native peoples.

Critical reception

The writer T. F. Rigelhof described the book as "remarkable" and "essential reading." The archaeologist

Brian M. Fagan Brian Murray Fagan (born 1 August 1936) is a prolific British author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Biography Fagan was born in England where he received hi ...

was critical of what he saw as Wright's prioritisation of indigenous perspectives, which he claimed made the book unbalanced. ''Stolen Continents'' won the

in 1993."Stolen Continents honored with Gordon Montador Award". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newsp ...

'', April 23, 1993.

References

{{Authority control

External links

Wright's response to Fagan's review
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' letters section, June 28, 1992. 1992 non-fiction books History books about genocide History books about colonialism Books about Native American history Books about indigenous peoples Books about foreign relations of the United States History of the Maya civilization Inca Empire History of the Aztecs Conquistadors Cherokee in popular culture Iroquois Canadian non-fiction books Mesoamerican studies books

Synopsis

Critical reception

See also

References

External links