Settler-colonial heteropatriarchy
What is settler-colonial heteropatriarchy? (Hint: Arvin Tuck Morril, 2013) How do you see it playing out in representations of Native peoples in Disney films?
Find out which Indigenous community’s land you are living on (note: present tense). For instance, when I lived in Pittsburgh, I was in the Shawnee territory. When I lived in Southern California, I was in Cahuilla territory. If you are not living in the United States, you can search for indigenous peoples in the region you do live in. For instance, for Canadians, you would look up the First Nations people who lived in your area before colonization. If you live in New Zealand, you would research the Maori; in Australia, you would research the local aboriginal people; in Guatemala, you could research the K’iche. Or you could choose a place in the US you have visited or lived and research that area. Look up recent news events that have impacted this Native community. Link the current events to: A) ongoing U.S. settler colonialism, B) at least two of this week’s readings, and C) to representations of Indigeneity in Disney films.
Some good starting points for research include: Idle No More, Walking with Our Sisters, the Supreme Court Decision re. the Indian Child Welfare Act, #NoDAPL and the following link: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pamunkey-20150802-story.html#page=1 (Links to an external site.)
What are the differences between portrayals of Indigeneity in Moana and Pocahontas? Explore some online coverage of Moana (Women and Hollywood blog, Ms.Magazine, Bitch Media, for example). How do these discussions connect with the readings from this week? If you have seen Lilo and Stitch, which also portrays Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawai’ians), how is it similar to and different from Moana? Explicitly address ongoing U.S. settler colonialism in your response.
Sample Solution
The article examines two interwoven ideas: the United States as a settler-colonial nation-state, and settler colonialism as a gendered process that has been and continues to be. The article uses Native feminist theories to explore the profound links between settler colonialism and heteropatriarchy, highlighting five key difficulties that Native feminist theories present to gender and women’s studies. Responding to these problems necessitates a substantial change from how gender and women’s studies are commonly understood and taught, from problematizing settler colonialism and its intersections to challenging academic role in Indigenous dispossession.
