Reading Native American Women: Critical/Creative Representations (Contemporary Native American Communities) [Hardcover]

Inés Hernández-Avila (Editor), Joanne Barker (Contributor), Gloria Bird (Contributor), Victoria Bomberry (Contributor), Mary C. Churchill (Contributor), Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (Contributor), Carolyn Dunn (Contributor), Reid Gómez (Contributor), Janice Gould (Contributor), Joy Harjo (Contributor), Inés Hernández-Avila (Contributor), Deborah A. Miranda (Contributor), Luana Ross (Contributor), Andrea Smith (Contributor), Inés Talamantez (Contributor), Teresia Teaiwa (Contributor), Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0759103712 | ISBN-13: 978-0759103719 | Publication Date: December 2004

This new collection reveals the vitality of the intellectual and creative work of Native women today. The authors examine the avenues that Native American women have chosen for creative, cultural, and political expressions, and discuss the points of convergence between Native American feminisms and other feminisms. Individual contributors articulate their positions around issues such as identity, community, sovereignty, culture, and representation. This engaging volume crystallizes the myriad realities that inform the authors' intellectual work, and clarifies the sources of inspiration for their roles as individuals and indigenous intellectuals, reaffirming their paramount commitment to their communities and Nations. It will be of great value to Native writers as well as instructors and students in Native American studies, women's studies, anthropology, cultural studies, literature, and writing and composition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It seems to me that being an American Indian woman makes one a feminist. That is, if a commitment to strength, both of body and spirit, to self-reliance, and to a sense of identity outside the male world (albeit always within one's Indian community) makes one a feminist—and I think it does—then Indian woman and feminist are synonyms. Reading Native American Women is a collection that powerfully makes my point. Kudos to Inés Hernández-Avila and the women who speak with as strong a voice as ever. (Paula Gunn Allen )

Inés Hernández-Avila brings together an amazing group of Native women intellectuals who give voice to the varied expressions of Native women's lives. These scholars, writers, and artists offer personal histories, deep reflection, and scholarly research on the political struggles of Native women throughout the Americas. The juxtaposition of different forms of expression provides an embodied, intellectual experience that is both painful and inspirational. (Michelene E. Pesantubbee )

This is an excellent anthology: it is well conceived, imaginatively combines creative work with critical analysis, and contains a number of powerful Native women's voices. While there are many anthologies devoted to the creative work of American Indian women, there are few that feature critical work. The individual essays are all very strong, offering a wide range of perspectives, issues and cultural traditions. Reading Native American Women will fill a long-standing gap, and its critical essays as well as its poetry, memoir and fiction will provide an invaluable resource for those seeking responsible and insightful knowledge about Native women. (Donaldson, Laura )

About the Author

Inés Hernández-Avila is a professor and former chair of the Department of Native American Studies at the University of California-Davis. She is also Director of the Chicana/Latina Research Center at UCD; a member of the National Caucus of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers; and a member of the Advisory Council for Public Programming at the National Museum of the American Indian. She has twice been a Ford Foundation/National Research Council Fellow.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759103712
• ISBN-13: 978-0759103719
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,197,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)