This course introduces students to the wide range of Native American literature. The collection of texts to be discussed includes literature from all over the American continent. Hence, we will approach the native population of the Americas from an Inter-American perspective.
Focusing primarily on contemporary Native American literature by authors such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Simon Ortiz,Juan Gregorio Regino, Odi Gonzalez, and Ofelia Zepeda, we will discuss how native traditions have been translated into literature. Additionally, we will explore indigenous creation stories from different countries.
Our literary analysis will be complemented by an awareness of the cultural and political movements important to American indigenous peoples in the late 20th as well as early 21st century. Furthermore, we will deal with questions on legal frameworks that indigenous communities are subject to, identity constructions in borderlands, issues of sovereignty, land claims, as well as social activism.
Students are asked to purchase the following novels (both are available for ca. 10€ in the Heinrich-Heine Buchhandlung, Viehofer Platz 8):
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. ISBN-10: 0316013692
Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. ISBN-10: 0061859974
Additional texts will be collected in a reader, which will be available from the copy shop at Reckhammerweg 4 after the first class meeting. |
