In the current moment, the United States imagines itself as a multicultural nation, made up of many diverse communities united as one people. American Indian peoples complicate, and have always complicated, such neat imaginings of the United States as a nation and Americanness as an identity. In part, this is because of the unique relationship between American Indian peoples and the federal government that has been shaped by U.S. American Indian policy. This course presents a chronological overview of U.S. American Indian policy in a historical context. Using texts from the fields of law, history, and ethnic studies, we explore the tension between federal policy and American Indian sovereignty, discussing how changing conceptions of America have affected policy and exploring how American Indian peoples have responded to shifting U.S. American Indian policy. |