Acimisowin as Theoretical Practice: Autobiography as Indigenous Intellectual Tradition in Canada

Download or read book Acimisowin as Theoretical Practice: Autobiography as Indigenous Intellectual Tradition in Canada written by Deanna Helen Reder and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation examines autobiographical writings by Indigenous authors in Canada, giving attention to a rich archive that has been understudied or misunderstood. Drawing on the insights of autobiography theory and Indigenous studies, I critique the still prevailing influence of founding scholars of Native American autobiography who disseminated the belief that autobiography is a European invention, that there are no prior models in Indigenous cultures and that Indigenous autobiographies must therefore be the result of European contact. The lack of Indigenous perspectives in the academy has left many of these assumptions unchallenged and I introduce personal stories modeled on Cree-Metis storytelling methods as a corrective.