Indigen Resistance Movements

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

A broad survey of Indigenous resistance and resurgence in the 20th and 21st century, this course considers how Native American and Indigenous peoples have and continue to resist settler colonialism, imperialism, land dispossession, racism, environmental exploitation, and systemic poverty across Turtle Island (North America). In this course, we will address large-scale movements, political mobilization, and direct action, alongside every-day acts of resistance and cultural revitalization. While analyzing the structural factors at the root of these movements, students will learn how Indigenous peoples have strategically utilized art, direct action, fashion, social media, music (and more) to defend their communities, traditions, and homelands for future generations. Through these stories of sovereignty, self-determination, and community resilience, we will also learn how these decolonial movements enable Indigenous communities to heal themselves and the land from the impacts of structural violence. As our objective is to reveal the wide-spread legacy and impact of Indigenous resistance, students will also be encouraged to examine the intersections between Indigenous resistance movements and those of other marginalized communities in the United States and beyond.