This is a collection of classic and newly commissioned essays about the study of Indigenous literatures in North America. The contributing scholars include some of the most venerable Indigenous theorists, among them Gerald Vizenor (Anishinaabe), Jeannette Armstrong (Okanagan), Craig Womack (Creek), Kimberley Blaeser (Anishinaabe), Emma LaRocque (Métis), Daniel Heath Justice (Cherokee), Janice Acoose (Saulteaux), and Jo-Ann Episkenew (Métis). Also included are settler scholars foundational to the field, including Helen Hoy, Margery Fee, and Renate Eigenbrod. Among the newer voices are both settler and Indigenous theorists such as Sam McKegney, Keavy Martin, and Niigaanwewidam Sinclair.

The volume is organized into five subject areas: Position, the necessity of considering where you come from and who you are; Imagining Beyond Images and Myths, a history and critique of circulating images of Indigenousness; Debating Indigenous Literary Approaches; Contemporary Concerns, a consideration of relevant issues; and finally Classroom Considerations, pedagogical concerns particular to the field. Each section is introduced by an essay that orients the reader and provides ideological context. While anthologies of literary criticism have focused on specific issues related to this burgeoning field, this volume is the first to offer comprehensive perspectives on the subject.

New and collected essays. A comprehensive view of critical approaches to and theories about Indigenous literatures today. Sections include Position, Imagining Beyond Images and Myths, Debating Indigenous Literary Approaches, Contemporary Concerns, and Classroom Considerations.

Table of Contents for Learn, Teach, Challenge: Approaching Indigenous Literatures, edited by Deanna Reder and Linda M. Morra

Acknowledgements

Introduction | Deanna Reder and Linda Morra

 

I • Position

1 Introduction | Deanna Reder

2 Iskwewak Kah’ Ki Yaw Ni Wahkomakanak: Re-membering Being to Signifying Female Relations | Janice Acoose

3 “Introduction” from How Should I Read These? Native Women Writers in Canada | Helen Hoy

4 Teaching Aboriginal Literature: The Discourse of Margins and Mainstreams | Emma LaRocque

5 “Preface” from Travelling Knowledges: Positioning the Im/Migrant Reader of Aboriginal Literatures in Canada | Renate Eigenbrod

6 Strategies for Ethical Engagement: An Open Letter Concerning Non-Native Scholars of Native Literatures | Sam McKegney

7 A Response to Sam McKegney’s “Strategies for Ethical Engagement: An Open Letter Concerning Non-Native Scholars of Native Literatures” | Robert Appleford

8 Situating Self, Culture, and Purpose in Indigenous Inquiry | Margaret Kovach

9 Final Section Response: “The lake is the people and life that come to it”: Location as Critical Practice | Allison Hargreaves

 

II • Imagining Beyond Images and Myths

10 Introduction | Linda M. Morra

11. A Strong Race Opinion: On the Indian Girl in Modern Fiction | E. Pauline Johnson

12 Indian Love Call | Drew Hayden Taylor

13 “Introduction” and “Marketing the Imaginary Indian” from The Imaginary Indian: The Image of the Indian in Canadian Culture | Daniel Francis

14 Postindian Warriors | Gerald Vizenor

15 Postcolonial Ghost Dancing: Diagnosing European Colonialism | James (Sákéj) Youngblood Henderson

16 The Trickster Moment, Cultural Appropriation, and the Liberal Imagination | Margery Fee

17 Myth, Policy, and Health | Jo-Ann Episkenew

18 Final Section Response: Imagining beyond Images and Myths | Renae Watchman

 

III • Deliberating Indigenous Literary Approaches

19 Introduction | Natalie Knight

20 “Editor’s Note” from Looking at the Words of Our People: First Nations Analysis of Literature | Jeannette C. Armstrong

21 Native Literature: Seeking a Critical Centre | Kimberly M. Blaeser

22 Introduction. American Indian Literary Self-Determination | Craig S. Womack

23 “Introduction” from Towards a Native American Critical Theory | Elvira Pulitano

24 Afterword: At the Gathering Place | Lisa Brooks

25 Gdi-nweninaa: Our Sound, Our Voice | Leanne Simpson

26 Responsible and Ethical Criticisms of Indigenous Literatures | Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair

27 Final Section Response: Many Communities and the Full Humanity of Indigenous People: A Dialogue | Kristina Fagan Bidwell and Sam McKegney

 

IV • Contemporary Concerns

28 Introduction | Daniel Morley Johnson

29 Appropriating Guilt: Reconciliation in an Indigenous Canadian Context | Deena Rymhs

30 Moving beyond “Stock Narratives” of Murdered or Missing Indigenous | Women: Reading the Poetry and Life Writing of Sarah de Vries | Amber Dean

31 “Go Away, Water!” Kinship Criticism and the Decolonization Imperative | Daniel Heath Justice

32 Indigenous Storytelling, Truth-Telling, and Community Approaches to Reconciliation | Jeff Corntassel, Chaw-win-is, and T’lakwadzi

33 Erotica, Indigenous Style | Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm

34 Doubleweaving Two-Spirit Critiques: Building Alliances Between Native and Queer Studies | Qwo-Li Driskill

35 Finding Your Voice: Cultural Resurgence and Power in Political Movement Katsisorokwas Curran Jacobs

36 Final Section Response: From haa-huu-pah to the Decolonization Imperative: Responding to Contemporary Issues Through the TRC | Laura Moss

 

V • Classroom Considerations

37 Introduction | Deanna Reder and Linda M. Morra

38 The Hunting and Harvesting of Inuit Literature | Keavy Martin

39 “Ought We to Teach These?”: Ethical, Responsible, and Aboriginal Cultural Protocols in the Classroom | Marc André Fortin

40 Who Is the Text in This Class? Story, Archive, and Pedagogy in Indigenous Contexts | Warren Cariou

41 Teaching Indigenous Literature as Testimony: Porcupines and China Dolls and the Testimonial Imaginary | Michelle Coupal

42 “Betwixt and Between”: Alternative Genres, Languages, and Indigeneity | Sarah Henzi

43 A Landless Territory?: Augmented Reality, Land, and Indigenous Storytelling in Cyberspace | David Gaertner

44 Final Section Response: Positioning Knowledges, Building Relationships, Practising Self-Reflection, Collaborating across Differences | Sophie McCall

 

Works Cited

About the Contributors

Index

"Reder and Morra offer this anthology as a way to facilitate positive representation and inclusion of Indigenous texts and to foster solidarity in university settings that have historically marginalized Indigenous voices. Their offering is valuable contribution to the field for teachers and students alike."CA