The Impacts of Settler Colonialism upon Concepts of Sex and Gender; an Indigenous Feminist Lens

The Queer Feminist Witch

Welcome to this special episode, recorded for SSDB 492 Transnational Sexuality Studies. Come take a deep dive into understanding and unpacking the impact that settler colonialism has, both historically and presently, upon sexuality and gender, specifically in Indigenous conceptions and experiences of both. By challenging colonial legacies and unsettling our understandings of sexuality, gender and being-ness through the longstanding teachings and lessons from Indigenous and Two-Spirit communities, we explore what it means to be a decolonial intersectional feminist, and how we, as allies, can support and uplift the work Indigenous and two spirit people have done and continuously do in order to reclaim sovereignty and refuse colonial standards and normalizations. Bibliography: Driskill, Qwo-Li, et al. “Chapter 12: The Revolution Is for Everyone: Imagining an Emancipatory Future through Queer Indigenous Critical Theories.” Queer Indigenous Studies, University of Arizona Press, 2011, pp. 211–21. Ellasante, Ian Khara. “Radical Sovereignty, Rhetorical Borders, and the Everyday Decolonial Praxis of Indigenous Peoplehood and Two-Spirit Reclamation.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 44, no. 9, 2021, pp. 1507–26. Fiola, Chantal. “Chapter 7: Naawenangweyaabeg Coming In: Intersections of Indigenous Sexuality and Spirituality.” In Good Relation : History, Gender, and Kinship in Indigenous Feminisms, University of Manitoba Press, 2020, pp. 136–53. Morgensen, Scott Lauria. “Chapter 8: Unsettling Queer Politics: What Can Non-Natives Learn from Two-Spirit Organizing?” Queer Indigenous Studies, University of Arizona Press, 2011, pp. 132–52. Palmer, Kathryn. “Oregon State Professor Accused of Falsely Claiming Native Ancestry.” Inside Higher Ed, 7 Nov. 2023, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/diversity-equity/2023/11/07/oregon-state-professor-accused-falsely-claiming. Pyle, Kai. “‘Women and 2spirits’: On the Marginalization of Transgender Indigenous People in Activist Rhetoric.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal, vol. 43, no. 3, 2019, pp. 85–94. Robinson, Margaret. “Two-Spirit Identity in a Time of Gender Fluidity.” Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 67, no. 12, 2020, pp. 1675–90. Speaking Out of Place. When “Natives” Aren’t: Liza Black and Joseph Pierce Discuss Epistemic and Communal Violence, and Re-Storying. October 19, 2023, https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/speaking-out-of-place/id1655589688?i=1000631944488. Spillett, Tasha. “Gender, Land, and Place: Considering Gender within Land-Based and Place-Based Learning.” Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, vol. 15, no. 1, 2021, pp. 11–31. Tribal Alliance Against Frauds. “‘Paul Edward’ Qwo-Li Driskill.” Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, 25 Oct. 2023, https://tribalallianceagainstfrauds.org/%22qwo-li%22-driskill. Whitebear, Luhui. “Resisting the Settler Gaze: California Indigenous Feminisms.” Feminist Formations, vol. 35, no. 1, 2023, pp. 97–116.