The growing ranks of Indigenous scholars are propelling forth scholarship driven by a radical shift in perspective. As opposed to scholarship about Indigenous peoples, Indigenous scholars, writing about our own communities, are holding ourselves accountable to our communities by producing scholarship with, by, and for our relations.

How do we respond ethically to the scholarship of Critical Indigenous Studies? How is this scholarship altering the way research is designed and conducted? How does this scholarship challenge the very core of academic knowledge production about Native American and Indigenous peoples? How can academics and Indigenous peoples alike think about Indigenous epistemologies, ontologies, methodologies, and axiologies?

This course involves deep and honest exploration in recent scholarship in Critical Indigenous Studies. Anticipating that enrollment will include a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, we will discuss strategies of positionality and performativity, in order to grapple with the range of possibilities in responding to Critical Indigenous Studies.

Readings will combine assigned articles and up to six monograph-length books. We will begin with the essays in the volume Critical Indigenous Studies: Engagements in First World Locations edited by Aileen Moreton-Roberts, then we will determine by consensus the specific books and articles we will read and discuss together. Possible readings include: Robin Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass; LeAnne Simpson, As We Have Always Done; Laura Harjo, Spiral to the Stars; Karin Ingersoll, Waves of Knowing.