At ranging levels of education, humanities programs are integrating more study of indigenous cultures and the welcome decolonization of research itself. This month, Bloomsbury Collections proudly offers authoritative content exploring a range of indigenous cultures around the world, including Native Americans, Inuit communities of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, and the Aboriginal and Māori cultures of Oceania. Scroll down to discover free-to-read chapters ranging from the preservation of indigenous languages and cultures, to the growing genre of indigenous cinema, to an excerpt from Linda Tuhiwahi Smith’s formative work on decolonizing research in the field of Indigenous studies.
Replacing stereotypical images with a more accurate understanding of Native Americans, Donna L. Akers’ Culture and Customs of the Choctaw Indians explores the traditional lives of the Choctaw people, their history and oppression by the dominant society, and their struggles to maintain a unique identity in the face of overwhelming pressures to assimilate. This thorough overview of the Choctaw people, from ancient times to the present, includes sections on history, cuisine, music and dance, current issues, oral traditions and language, and more. Akers examines Choctaw worldviews and spiritual beliefs in this provided chapter. Click here to explore Culture and Customs of the Choctaw Indians.
Ideal for researchers seeking foundational insight into the contemporary Inuit communities of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, Pamela R. Stern’s Daily Life of the Inuit is the first serious study of contemporary Inuit culture from the post-World War II period to the present. Beginning with an introductory essay surveying Inuit prehistory, geography, and contemporary regional diversity, this expansive treatment explores the daily life of the Inuit throughout the North American Arctic. In this chapter, readers can discover the unique attributes of native Inuit spoken and written language (Inuktitut), how it survived during years of colonialism, and how the oral tradition of storytelling has helped preserve the integrity of Inuit education. Click here to explore Daily Life of the Inuit.
Native Features: Indigenous Films from Around the World is the first book to look at feature films made by and about indigenous people. The book introduces student researchers to more than 50 indigenous features now in circulation. In the process, author and scholar Houston Wood illustrates how movies made by Native peoples throughout the world often strengthen older cultures while simultaneously correcting stereotypes found in non-indigenous films. In this provided chapter, Wood considers the complex impact of four films made by both indigenous and non-indigenous filmmakers: Rabbit-Proof Fence, Whale Rider, Smoke Signals, and Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. Click here to explore Native Features: Indigenous Films from Around the World.
Considered a vital and formative text in the field of Indigenous studies, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples offers groundbreaking commentary on what happens when imperialism affects the very nature of research itself, and how the decolonization of research methods can help reclaim control over indigenous ways of knowing and being. In this new edition, author Linda Tuhiwahi Smith includes a featured chapter presenting twenty-five indigenous projects and a collection of poetry. Read this edition’s new co-written introduction here. Click here to explore Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.
Continuing the work of Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s Decolonizing Methodologies, this insightful collection celebrates the breadth and depth of how Indigenous women writers are helping reshape and decolonize research today. With contributions from indigenous female researchers, this collection helps define and distinguish methodological approaches and enables indigenous researchers to overcome the confines of being marginal voices. Read the text’s introduction here, which sets a context for this collection of 13 international Black female voices ushering in the indigenization of academic research and understanding. (Complete text can also be found via Bloomsbury Open Access.) Click here to explore Indigenous Women’s Voices: 20 Years on from Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s Decolonizing Methodologies.
Recommend This to Your Librarian
If you’ve enjoyed this taster of what Bloomsbury Collections has to offer, why not let your librarian know about the resource? Recommend it to your librarian here.
