Queer Theory and Native Studies

May 9, 2010: Queer Theory and Native Studies

The discussion material for this Sunday's meeting is a hot-off-the-presses piece by Native scholar and activist, Andrea Smith. It dovetails nicely with our ongoing work on coloniality and gender/sexuality, but engages more explicitly with queer theory, particularly in the context of colonialism and native studies. The need to decolonize critical theory moves in tandem with the need to queer decolonial theory/action - especially in light of Lugones' critique of the "coloniality of power" paradigm as articulated by Quijano - and as such, Smith's piece makes a decisive intervention in both domains. Please read this short piece and come prepared for an exciting discussion!


Smith, Andrea. "Queer Theory & Native Studies: The Heteronormativity of Settler Colonialism," GLQ: A Journal of Gay & Lesbian Studies 16, nos. 1-2 (2010): 41-68. Available online here: http://www.4shared.com/document/akzmNi4f/Smith_A_-_Queer_Theory__Native.html

Coloniality of Gender/Sexuality Pt. III

April 25, 2010: Coloniality of Gender/Sexuality Pt. III

Gunn Allen, P. "Introduction" in The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions. Available here: http://www.4shared.com/document/pKRlppWV/Gunn_Allen_Paula_-_Introductio.html