Native American Nationalism and Nation Re-building: Past and Present Cases

by Simone Poliandri (Editor)

Overview

Bringing together perspectives from a variety of disciplines, this book provides an interdisciplinary approach to the emerging discussion on Indigenous nationhood. The contributors argue for the centrality of nationhood and nation building in molding and, concurrently, blending the political, social, economic, and cultural strategies toward Native American self-definitions and self-determination. Included among the common themes is the significance of space—conceived both as traditional territory and colonial reservation—in the current construction of Native national identity. Whether related to historical memory and the narrativization of peoplehood, the temporality of indigenous claims to sovereignty, or the demarcation of successful financial assets as cultural and social emblems of indigenous space, territory constitutes an inalienable and necessary element connecting Native American peoplehood and nationhood. The creation and maintenance of Native American national identity have also overcome structural territorial impediments and may benefit from the inclusivity of citizenship rather than the exclusivity of ethnicity. In all cases, the political effectiveness of nationhood in promoting and sustaining sovereignty presupposes Native full participation in and control over economic development, the formation of historical narrative and memory, the definition of legality, and governance.

SUNY Press has collaborated with Knowledge Unlatched to unlock KU Select titles. The Knowledge Unlatched titles have been made open access through libraries coming together to crowd fund the publication cost. Each monograph has been released as open access making the eBook freely available to readers worldwide. Discover more about the Knowledge Unlatched program here: https://www.knowledgeunlatched.org/, and access the book online at the SUNY Open Access Repository at http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/8474 .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438460697
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	05/01/2016
Series:	SUNY series, Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Simone Poliandri is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University and author of First Nations, Identity, and Reserve Life: The Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia.

Table of Contents

Foreword Larry Nesper Brian Hosmer ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction: Nationalism and Nation Re-building in Native North America Simone Poliandri 1

1 Building on Native Sovereignty: From Ethnic Membership to National Citizenship Sebastian Felix Braun 29

2 The Antics of Anticipation in an Odyssey of Self-Rule Jackie Grey 61

3 The Mi'kmaw Path to First Nationhood: A Roadmap, Some Strategies, and a Few Effective Shortcuts Simone Poliandri 93

4 The Boundaries of Indigenous Nationalism: Space, Memory, and Narrative in Hualapai Political Discourse Jeffrey P. Shepherd 123

5 Courting the Nation: Articulating Potawatomi Nationhood at the Indian Claims Commission Christopher Wetzel 155

Conclusion: The Push for Change Continues Wanda Wuttunee 183

Contributors 195

Index 199