Lee Francis IV is currently the CEO of Native Realities, the only Native and Indigenous pop culture company in the United States. Native Realities is also the host of the Indigenous Comic Con and Red Planet Books and Comics. Native Realities has published 9 titles to date with more on the way. The hope is to change the perceptions of Native and Indigenous people through dynamic and imaginative pop culture representations. Dr. Francis is also the writer for Sixkiller and the upcoming Ghost River: An Account of the Paxton Massacre in Pennsylvania. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Pueblo of Laguna Education Foundation and the Youth Development Coordinator for Laguna Partners For Success. In his career, Dr. Francis has had the distinct pleasure to work as a classroom instructor at Laguna-Acoma High School, the University of New Mexico, and the Native American Community Academy. In 2014, he received his PhD in Education from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. His work as a poet and scholar has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He will join the IRTG Diversity in Saarbrücken from 22-25 May 2019.
Guest lecture "Native Americans In Popular Culture and the Rise of the Indigenerd!"
May, 23rd 2019, 12-14 h
Saarland University
Building B3 1, Lecture Hall 1 (0.14)
Abstract
For more than four hundred years, Native and Indigenous people have played a significant role in global popular culture. From the earliest portrayals of the “Noble Savage” through the villainous “Red Devil”, the images and representations of Native American and North American Indigenous Peoples have been used to shape policy and perpetuate efforts of genocide and ethnocide throughout North America. The rise of the Indigenerd coincides with concerted efforts by marginalized communities to assert themselves in establishing authentic representations within global pop culture (Smith, Choueiti & Pieper, 2016; CFMJ, 2015; Neill, 2009). The inclusion/exclusion of images and representations in popular culture have a profound impact on identity development, policy creation, and direct experiences by Native and Indigenous peoples (Phillips & Stegman, 2014). As such, it is beneficial for Indigenous activists to take on the mantle of Indigenerd in order to challenge the misrepresentations that continue to reinforce stereotypes. This talk will explore the history of Native and Indigenous people in popular culture and highlight some of the amazing efforts of Indigenerds worldwide to actively change the representations of Native people through dynamic and powerful expressions of self and culture.