Unsettling America

The Uses of Indianness in the 21st Century

• Author(s): C. Richard King,
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Pages: 164
• ISBN_10: 1442216689
  ISBN_13: 9781442216686
  
• Language: en
• Categories: History / Indigenous Peoples in the Americas , History / United States / General , Political Science / General , Social Science / Ethnic Studies / General , Social Science / Minority Studies , Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies , Social Science / Sociology / General , Social Science / Discrimination , Social Science / Indigenous Studies ,

Description:... Unsettling America explores the cultural politics of Indianness in the 21st century. It concerns itself with representations of Native Americans in popular culture, the news media, and political debate and the ways in which American Indians have interpreted, challenged, and reworked key ideas about them. It examines the means and meanings of competing uses and understandings of Indianness, unraveling their significance for broader understandings of race and racism, sovereignty and self-determination, and the possibilities of decolonization. To this end, it takes up four themes: -false claims about or on Indianness, that is, distortions, or ongoing stereotyping; -claiming Indianness to advance the culture wars, or how indigenous peoples have figured in post-9/11 political debates; -making claims through metaphors and juxtaposition, or the use of analogy to advance political movements or enhance social visibility; and -reclamations, or exertion of cultural sovereignty.