Purich Publishing was founded by Don Purich and Karen Bolstad in 1992. Together, they built an influential and enduring list of books in Indigenous studies and law, and about Western Canadian issues. On December 1, 2015, Purich Publishing’s list was acquired by UBC Press, whose existing strengths in the fields of Indigenous studies and law made it an ideal home for Purich.
UBC Press will continue to build on this significant legacy under a new imprint, Purich Books. We are moving forward with a clear purpose: to publish impassioned and experienced voices that will ignite understanding and champion change. Informed by substantive knowledge and written with the vigor of direct engagement, these are the books, the authors, and the ideas that readers will come to know as essential.
Under the White Gaze
Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism
Blending research with a reporter’s journey through the industry, Under the White Gaze takes a pointed look at how people of colour are routinely missing, marginalized, or misrepresented in Canadian journalism, and explores what can be done to make our media more inclusive.
- Copyright year: 2024
Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage, New Edition
A Canadian Obligation
Against the backdrop of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage examines past and emerging issues in the recognition of Indigenous inherent human rights and knowledge within a Canadian legal context.
- Copyright year: 2024
For Future Generations
Reconciling Gitxsan and Canadian Law
Dawn Mills passionately shows how reconciliation can be achieved between Canada’s First Nations and the various levels of government.
- Copyright year: 2008
Indigenous Diplomacy and the Rights of Peoples
Achieving UN Recognition
With a focus on international law, Henderson analyzes what the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples means for Indigenous peoples around the world and for Canada.
- Copyright year: 2008
Negotiating the Numbered Treaties
An Intellectual and Political History of Alexander Morris
The story of the prairie treaties and Alexander Morris, a man who embraced a larger concept of nationhood and the role of First Nations in the expansion of Canada.
- Copyright year: 2009
The Duty to Consult
New Relationships with Aboriginal Peoples
What does the duty to consult actually mean, and when it is required? The policies and decisions made regarding this duty are concisely outlined, along with important questions that remain.
- Copyright year: 2009
Realizing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Triumph, Hope, and Action
A multidisciplinary collection analyzing the development of the Declaration, the triumph of its adoption, and the hopes and actions for its implementation.
- Copyright year: 2010
Making a Living
Place, Food, and Economy in an Inuit Community
A social and cultural examination of Indigenous societies as they strive to retain the values rooted in life on the land while adjusting to the realities of life in settlements.
- Copyright year: 2010
Beyond Blood
Rethinking Indigenous Identity
Despite what the criteria of the Indian Act states regarding Aboriginal status, Palmater argues that blood should not determine belonging.
- Copyright year: 2011
Postcolonial Sovereignty?
The Nisga’a Final Agreement
An extensive examination of the significant Nisga’a Final Agreement and the effect on Aboriginal and government relations.
- Copyright year: 2012
A Healthy Society
How a Focus on Health can Revive Canadian Democracy
A doctor’s eye view of the determinants of health and frontline stories of patient experiences.
- Copyright year: 2012
Aboriginal Law, Fourth Edition
Commentary and Analysis
Now in its 4th edition, this definitive text discusses and clarifies Canadian laws impacting Aboriginal peoples.
- Copyright year: 2012