Alaska: An American Colony

"Alaska" has not evolved in a vacuum. It has been part of larger stories: the movement of Native peoples and their contact and accommodation to Western culture, the spread of European political economy to the New World, and the expansion of American capitalism and culture.

"Alaska, an American Colony" focuses on Russian America and American "Alaska," bringing the story of "Alaska" up to the present and exploring the continuing impact of "Alaska" Native claims settlements, the trans- "Alaska" pipeline, and the "Alaska" Lands Act. In contrast to the stereotype of "Alaska" as a place where rugged individualists triumph over the harsh environment, distinguished historian Stephen Haycox offers a less romantic, more complex history that emphasizes the broader national and international contexts of "Alaska"'s past and the similarities between "Alaska" and the American West. Covering cultural, political, economic, and environmental history, the book also includes an overview of the region's geography and the anthropology of "Alaska"'s Native peoples.

Throughout "Alaska, an American Colony," Haycox stresses the continuing involvement of "Alaska" Natives in the state's economic, political, and social life and development. He also explores the power of myth in historical representations of "Alaska" and the controlling influence of national perceptions of the region.