THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE AS PART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE COURSE

This paper focuses on the challenges of including Native American literature in course nineteenth century literature. Survey courses often feature canonical works and exclude minority or contrarian voices. My survey includes creation stories four tribes originating from different parts U.S., together with contemporary writers reflecting pre-colonisation colonisation periods history. The process teaching foregrounded tensions between dominant white settler mentality political social marginality Americans, making my students aware importance multivalent analyses literary historical texts. Throughout course, we discussed prevalent stereotypes about Americans experience this leads me to conclusion that it is important discuss various marginalised voices These texts reflect themes related race, gender, religion, ownership land go beyond include social, issues, helping our develop a better understanding culture.