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Storytelling, Identity Formation, and Resistance in Indigenous Cultures in Canada and the United States
Editor
Storytelling is a means of fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and continuity. Through stories, Indigenous peoples understand and interpret the world, and learn how to survive in spite of external forces such as colonialism. Storytelling has been studied by many scholars across myriad disciplines; however, its importance in dealing with trauma and in shaping identity demand further study. This volume contributes to an understanding of the importance of storytelling in shaping identity and healing trauma, and as a method of resistance among Indigenous peoples in North America. The book will attract readers interested in Native North American studies, Canadian studies, and cultural studies. In particular, the audience will include scholars investigating the importance of storytelling and its impact on healing and resistance among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. The contributions in this volume cover a wide range of media: fiction and non-fiction works, documentaries, poetry, activist work, movies, and TV series.
[Studies in Narrative, 28] 2025. xiii, 250 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 2 September 2025
Published online on 2 September 2025
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements | pp. ix–x
- List of contributors | pp. xi–xiv
- Introduction: Storytelling, identity formation, and resistance in Indigenous cultures in Canada and the United StatesKamelia Talebian Sedehi | pp. 1–9
- Part 1. Movies and television
- Chapter 1. “We are human and we are whole”: Visual sovereignty and aesthetic virtuosity in The Body Remembers When the World Broke OpenJordan Z. Adler | pp. 12–27
- Chapter 2. “It knows how to hunt. But I know how to survive”: Storymaking, identity, and resisting aliens in the film Prey (2022)Bryan Banker | pp. 28–49
- Chapter 3. Healing narratives: Indigenous storytelling, wisdom, and spirit guides in the TV series Reservation DogsErgün Baylan | pp. 50–71
- Part 2. Literary works
- Chapter 4. Louise Erdrich’s The Plague of Doves: Stories that hurt, stories that healOumeima Bousrih | pp. 74–91
- Chapter 5. Storytelling through trauma: Stories of violence and moral injury in Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves (2017) and Hunting by Stars (2021)Andrea Burgos-Mascarell | pp. 92–108
- Chapter 6. Cultural memory, testimony and witnessing in A Pipe for FebruaryKamelia Talebian Sedehi | pp. 109–124
- Chapter 7. Poetry as a praxis of resistance: Subverting colonial imposition through poetic resistance in Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe poetryRaphaela Pavlakos | pp. 125–147
- Part 3. Activism
- Chapter 8. Indigenous living traditions as institutionalized practices in urban Native organizationsMaría Cristina Manzano-Munguía and April Prosper | pp. 150–169
- Chapter 9. Indigenous digital storytelling and resistance: Analyzing the discourses of Shayla Oulette Stonechild and her influencer-activism on InstagramAnna Mongibello and Valentina De Brasi | pp. 170–193
- Part 4. Stories as history, performance, and oral tradition
- Chapter 10. Haudenosaunee storytelling as a philosophy of being in the worldJennifer Komorowski | pp. 196–209
- Chapter 11. Plurality, synthesis, and collaboration in Haudenosaunee histories of reading, writing, and publishingNyssa Komorowski | pp. 210–228
- Chapter 12. The common plot: Transient characters in Indigenous storytellingAndrew J. Weiler | pp. 229–247
- Name index | pp. 249–250