Book launch for Enough to Keep Them Alive


Banish the cheese sandwich blues and sample some great reading at a book launch, informal question-and-answer period and reception at the Keele campus on Monday, Feb. 9. The York University Bookstore is sponsoring the launch of York social work Professor Hugh Shewell’s new book, Enough to Keep Them Alive: Indian Welfare In Canada, 1873-1965 (University of Toronto Press). The launch and reception will take place in the bookstore at York Lanes from 4:30 to 6pm.


About the book


Far from reflecting humanitarian concern or enlightened political thinking, Indian welfare policy in Canada was formulated and applied deliberately to oppress and marginalize First Nations peoples and to foster their assimilation into the dominant society. Enough to Keep Them Alive explores the development and administration of social assistance policies targeting First Nations peoples in Canada from Confederation to the 1960s. Professor Hugh Shewell presents extensive archival evidence, as well as interviews with key players in the post-Second World War era.



About the Author


Born in Ottawa, Hugh Shewell (right) received his BA in sociology and English from Carleton University in 1972, an MSW from the University of British Columbia in 1974, and his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1995. He has had an extensive career in social work in British Columbia, including six years in public welfare (social assistance and child welfare) and five years at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.


He taught at University College of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, BC, and came to York in 1997. Currently, Shewell is a professor and undergraduate program director for the School of Social Work, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies at York University.


Everyone is welcome. If you wish to attend, please RSVP Michael Legris, marketing and special events coordinator, York University Bookstore, at ext. 22078 or mlegris@yorku.ca.