A sorority and fraternity at the University of Denver recently held a “Cowboys and Indians” theme party. Reflecting from this event, I examine how it has shaped my students’ attitudes toward dominant constructions of Native Americans through writing responses and class discussions to Ward Churchill’s (2010) “Crimes Against Humanity,” which questions and challenges U.S. sports teams’ and media’s use of Native American names and symbols. I critique my students’ writings and class discussions, and incorporate pedagogical practices to interrupt problematic Native American identity constructions as moments of pedagogical intervention.
AlexanderB. K. (2011). Bordered and bleeding identities: An autocritography of shifting academic life. In JacksonS.AndersonR. G.III (Eds.), The Black Professoriat: Negotiating a habitable space in the academy (pp. 14-31). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
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ChurchillW. (2010). Crimes against humanity. In AndersenM. L.CollinsP. H. (Eds.), Race, class & gender: An anthology (7th ed., pp. 379-386). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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HaoR. N. (2011). Rethinking critical pedagogy: Implications on silence and silent bodies. Text and Performance Quarterly, 31, 267-284. doi: 10.1080/10462937.2011.573185
