About the Author

Wade M. Cole is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Montana State University.

Reviews

"Cole's book is important precisely because it is so cognizant of the wider social and political milieu of indigenous claims making vis-a-vis modern nation states...A book with a rare combination of elements - it is diachronic, interdisciplinary, theoretically strong, empirically grounded, and (particularly unusual for those books that focus primarily on the U.S. context) also consciously international." - Stephen May, American Journal of Sociology "Cole has written a masterful and comprehensive analysis of the modern rise of post-secondary schools for indigenous peoples. He analyzes the phenomenon at a global and historical level, but also examines national and organizational variations. The book is unique - a most impressive addition to the field." - John W. Meyer, Stanford University "Wade Cole's innovative, comparative Uncommon Schools illuminates how destitute and poorly educated groups of indigenous people have come to use quasi-sovereignty and the political authority of higher education to form unique colleges to increase their people's cultural survival. This is a fascinating story of local adaptation of global ideas, subjective self-identification, and the rising power of higher education in increasingly schooled societies worldwide." - David P. Baker, The Pennsylvania State University "Cole has produced a landmark book that is unprecedented in the study of indigenous people. It represents a new benchmark for comparative studies of Native people. Although a few books have attempted to compare government policies for indigenous people across nation-states, Cole's book is the first to compare how Native people have attempted to structure institutions of higher education to serve their communities. This is a one-of-a-kind book that cannot be overlooked by scholars of Native people." - C. Matthew Snipp, Stanford University