Context North America

This course examines contemporary Indigenous literatures written in English in what we today refer to as Canada and the United States. We will study the themes, aesthetics, and politics of novels, creative nonfiction, poetry, and plays while acknowledging the territorial, national, and cultural differences that have shaped the texts. Topics will include connection to the land, the importance of community, urban Indigeneity, gender and sexuality, residential schools, the Sixties and Millennial Scoops, MMIWG, and resurgence and decolonization. We will focus on texts written in the twentieth century in the fall and on those written in the twenty-first century in the winter. In other words, our approach will be both chronological and thematic. Class visits by Indigenous scholars and local community members will open doors to meaningful engagement with the course materials.