Native American Racism in the Age of Donald Trump : Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

This book examines the resurgence of anti-Native Americanism since the start of Donald Trump’s bid for the US Presidency. From the time Trump announced his intention to run for president, racism directed towards Native Americans has become an increasingly visible part of cultural and political life in the United States. From the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline to the controversies surrounding Elizabeth Warren’s identity, to open mockery by teenagers wearing MAGA hats, anti-Native Americanism is now at its most visible in the United States since the early twentieth century. This volume places this resurgent anti-Native Americanism into an appropriate contemporary context by demonstrating how historical forces have created the foundation upon which many of these controversies are built. Chapters examine three key processes in US history and how they have shaped today’s political climate: violence as a force of attitudinal change; the root issues at the heart of Native American identity politics; and the dismissal of modern Native American inequalities through a prolonged European American fascination with the imagery of the noble savage. A Note on Naming Contents List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction History and Memory Chapter 2: Trump Versus Indian Country Winner Takes It All Idle No More ‘Who we are as Americans’ Chapter 3: Memory and White Victimhood Memories of Violence Anti-Indian Radicalism Memorialisation Problematic Legacies Chapter 4: Race and Identity Red Blood Colonialist Portraits of Aspirational Indians Indigenous Fetishes and Fake Indians Where the Buffalo Roam Chapter 5: Epilogue Index