Indigenous subjectivities: Diné youth (de)construct identity

Valerie J Shirley, Purdue University

Abstract

Utilizing the theoretical framework of Tribal Critical Race Theory, this critical Indigenous qualitative research study explored Indigenous subjectivities among ten Diné youth, ages twelve to fourteen. The aim of this research study was to examine and explore how Diné youth interpreted and made meaning of their Diné identities when they engaged in interactive dialogues and critical analyses of colonial ideologies and tactics of assimilation as well as Diné stories and philosophy. The Diné youth in this study were taken through a preliminary process of decolonization that allowed them to self-reflect on their own identities and examine how they were and are being influenced by surrounding social forces. Derived from focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, the findings stemming from the voices of Diné youth in this research study confirm that disrupting the colonial mentality that dominates and exists within our minds is the starting point by which we can engage in critical action toward reclaiming our Indigeneity and promoting social change that awakens our Indigenous Diné epistemology with the goal of situating it at the forefront of our thinking.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Phillion, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Multicultural Education|Pedagogy|Native American studies

COinS