The Problem of Indigeneity

This chapter considers how eighteenth-century literature in English generates varying notions of “Indigeneity” as part of British colonial expansion, and the legacies of those notions as they continue to condition relationships among settlers and Indigenous peoples today. The co-authors provide both an Indigenous and a non-Indigenous perspective on how these legacies might be approached critically through the study of eighteenth-century literature. The chapter invites readers to consider how literary studies can be reimagined and transformed to cultivate a love of cross-cultural reading while supporting decolonization efforts and promoting Indigenous futurity.