This Land is (?) Land: A Study of the Long Struggle for the Northeastern Atlantic Coast

In 1616, John Smith of Pocahontas fame published “A Description of New England,” literally remaining and ostensibly claiming a “placeworld” Native peoples call the Dawnland. In this first-year seminar, students will utilize Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) methodologies to examine and appraise the circumstances and legacies of settler colonialism and the long struggle to remake and redefine the Northeastern Atlantic coast. Students will engage with traditional historical sources, literature, oral histories, and evidence found in popular culture to understand better the genesis and durability of the struggle for this contested landscape.