Disappearing in the City : An Urban Ethnography of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Disappearing in the City launches a deeply needed investigation into the factors that place Indigenous women at risk of experiencing interpersonal and institutional forms of violence in large urban settings.

This ethnographic study follows Indigenous women as they leave reserves and other communities, often in search of safety, housing, and work. Sociologist Jerry Flores compiles years of immersive ethnographic research including extensive field notes, semi-structured interviews with fifty First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women, and more than one thousand documented cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women. This research aims to understand why Indigenous women leave home, what happens to them as they navigate unfamiliar settings and services, and what precursors lead to their injury, death, or disappearance. Flores’s qualitative account highlights Indigenous women’s voices and analyses how colonial policies such as residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and ongoing assimilationist programs continue to shape Indigenous women’s contemporary urban life and vulnerability.

Disappearing in the City shows how Indigenous-led organizations, families, and activists are working to create safer, more just futures for Indigenous women, as well as provides additional guidance for policymakers and community members seeking culturally grounded change. As the history of colonization continues to harm communities across Canada, this book insists on the need for deeper research and reconciliation.