Author Archives: David Gaertner
Best Practices for Approaching Indigenous Studies through the Digital Humanities
The following list was compiled out of the Symposium for Indigenous New Media (#SINM18), which was held as part of the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI) in June, 2018. We welcome your feedback and suggestions in the comments below. 1) Be a good relation: build meaningful relationships with community and individuals and resist parachute DH-ing. […]
The Research Essay: 10 Tips for Success
Originally compiled for FNIS 220 These tips are for students researching creative works (e.g. poetry, novels, film, visual art, video games) in the field of Indigenous studies. After selecting your primary text (e.g. This Wound is a World, “Welcome to your authentic Indigenous experience,” A Red Girl’s Reasoning, etc.) you should: 1) Brainstorm a research question: […]
Reconciliation: “Like an Echo Turned Inside Out”
On the penultimate page of her 2017 dystopian speculative fiction novel, The Marrow Thieves, Métis author and editor Cherie Dimaline evokes the sound of an echo as a means elucidate the reunification of two residential school surviours: The scene is significant for a number of reasons, not least of all because it contains the only […]
Towards a Methodology of Closure
The colonial gaze is characterized not only by scopophilia, a drive to look, but also by an urge to penetrate, to traverse, to know, to translate, to own and exploit. The attitude assumes that everything should be accessible to those with the means and will to access them. (David Garneau, “Imaginary Space of Conciliation and […]
FNIS 220: Representation and Indigenous Cultural Politics
FNSP 220 explores the ways that Indigenous peoples seek to overcome the legacies of settler colonialism and claim sovereignty and self-determination through cultural production and critique. In this course, we will examine contemporary articulations of Indigenous identity, politics, and cultural traditions in the fields of literature, film, video games, and other modes of resurgent cultural […]
FNIS 300: Writing for Indigenous Studies
Click the link below for the full syllabus. In this course, we will be honing writing skills for Indigenous studies with emphasis on writing for and with community and against patriarchy, racism, and settler colonialism. Through this course, you will work towards becoming more aware of your writing process: which means being mindful (and sometimes […]
FNIS 401W: New Media Practices and Applications in Indigenous Studies
Course Description: In an interview with Liza Yeager, Anishinaabe comedian, writer, and media maker, Ryan McMahon talks about why he thinks podcasting is specifically useful medium for Indigenous storytellers: “I just think the medium is so exciting. It’s relatively inexpensive to produce; it’s a flexible creative medium that allows us to be publishers, you know? […]
