From Erasure to Empowerment Active Cultural Resistance in Recent Indigenous Novels

Gheytasi, Sajjad

doi:10.48308/clls.2025.238355.1292

	From Erasure to Empowerment Active Cultural Resistance in Recent Indigenous Novels
نقد زبان و ادبیات خارجی
مقاله 3، دوره 22، شماره 34 - شماره پیاپی 11، اردیبهشت 1404، صفحه 23-32 اصل مقاله (472.78 K)
نوع مقاله: مقاله علمی پژوهشی
شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.48308/clls.2025.238355.1292
نویسنده
Sajjad Gheytasi^*
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Payame Noor University (PNU)
چکیده
This essay analyzes the role of cultural resistance in three contemporary novels: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn, and How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue. The study explores how these authors use storytelling, memory, and indigenous traditions to resist hegemonic narratives and assert marginalized identities. Erdrich’s work critiques the U.S. government's Termination policy, emphasizing Native American sovereignty, while Washburn explores the commodification of Hawaiian culture within capitalist structures. Mbue’s novel portrays a fictional African village resisting ecological and cultural destruction caused by a corporate oil company. Drawing on postcolonial and indigenous studies – particularly the works of Gerald Vizenor, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Homi K. Bhabha, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o etc. – the essay examines the theoretical underpinnings of cultural resistance, highlighting the transformative power of literature in challenging systemic oppression. Central to the novels is the role of indigenous storytelling as both a method of preserving cultural heritage and a form of defiance against cultural erasure. Through these works, the essay emphasizes the importance of cultural memory, environmental justice, and the significant role of women in resisting colonial and capitalist exploitation.
کلیدواژه‌ها
Cultural Resistance؛ Indigenous Literature؛ Environmental Justice؛ Postcolonial Theory؛ Narrative Resistance
عنوان مقاله [English]
From Erasure to Empowerment Active Cultural Resistance in Recent Indigenous Novels
نویسندگان [English]
Sajjad Gheytasi
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Payame Noor University (PNU)
چکیده [English]
This essay analyzes the role of cultural resistance in three contemporary novels: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn, and How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue. The study explores how these authors use storytelling, memory, and indigenous traditions to resist hegemonic narratives and assert marginalized identities. Erdrich’s work critiques the U.S. government's Termination policy, emphasizing Native American sovereignty, while Washburn explores the commodification of Hawaiian culture within capitalist structures. Mbue’s novel portrays a fictional African village resisting ecological and cultural destruction caused by a corporate oil company. Drawing on postcolonial and indigenous studies – particularly the works of Gerald Vizenor, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Homi K. Bhabha, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o etc. – the essay examines the theoretical underpinnings of cultural resistance, highlighting the transformative power of literature in challenging systemic oppression. Central to the novels is the role of indigenous storytelling as both a method of preserving cultural heritage and a form of defiance against cultural erasure. Through these works, the essay emphasizes the importance of cultural memory, environmental justice, and the significant role of women in resisting colonial and capitalist exploitation.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
Cultural Resistance, Indigenous Literature, Environmental Justice, Postcolonial Theory, Narrative Resistance

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From Erasure to Empowerment Active Cultural Resistance in Recent Indigenous Novels