Listed in: American Studies, as AMST-242
Kiara M. Vigil (Section 01)
In recent years, Indigenous acts of resistance have opposed the removal of federal protections for forests and waterways in Indigenous lands, halted the construction of oil pipelines, and demanded justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women. These anti-colonial struggles have their roots in Native communities and epistemologies. This course introduces students to critical theories for understanding Native responses to settler-colonialism, as “a structure, not an event,” through close examination of texts produced by a range of Native scholars and activists. Reading work by Jodi Byrd (Chickasaw), Audra Simpson (Mohawk), Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg), and others, we will interrogate how the colonial state has developed in the United States and Canada and the diverse strategies used by Native nations to respond to this development. We’ll consider how Hawaiian movements for life, land, and sovereignty arose from grassroots initiatives and the ways that scholars, community organizers, journalists, and filmmakers have contributed to a Native Hawaiian resistance movement. We’ll also examine the ways in which gender is inextricably a part of Indigenous politics by looking at work by scholars who use both literary and legal texts to analyze the production of colonial space, the biopolitics of “Indianness,” and the collisions and collusions between queer theory and colonialism within Indigenous studies. This course focuses on Native voices and theories to question and reframe thinking about Native epistemologies, nationhood, citizenship, history, identity, belonging and the possibilities for a decolonial future. Classwork will involve seminar-style discussion, often facilitated by student leaders, to further unpack course readings, supplemental materials, and relevant current events. Students will produce short response papers that culminate in a final project which can take any form, including a performance, website, multimedia or other type of creative composition intended to reach a public audience.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Vigil.
Section 01
Tu 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM NEWP 100
Th 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM NEWP 100
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming | Haymarket Books | LaDuke, Winona | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| We Are Dancing For You: Native Feminisms & the Revitalization of Women's Come-Of-Age Ceremonies | University of Washington Press | Baldy, Cutcha Risling | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The River Is In Us: Fighting Toxics in a Mohawk Community | University of Minnesota Press | Hoover, Elizabeth | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance | University of Minnesota Press | Simpson, Leanne Betasamoke | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Marrow Thieves | DCB | Dimaline, Cherie | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.