Indigeneity and the Decolonizing Gaze

Against the long historical backdrop of 1492, Columbus, and the Conquest, Robert Stam's wide-ranging study in Indigeneity and the Decolonizing Gaze traces a trajectory from the representation of indigenous peoples by others to self-representation by indigenous peoples. This often serves as a form of resistance and rebellion against colonialist or neoliberal capitalism, across an eclectic range of forms of media, arts, and social philosophy.

Spanning national and transnational media in countries including the US, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, Stam orchestrates a dialogue between the western mediated gaze on the 'Indian' and the indigenous gaze itself. This is especially seen in the burgeoning movement of “indigenous media” — the use of audio-visual-digital media for the social and cultural purposes of indigenous peoples themselves.

Drawing on examples from cinema, literature, music, video, painting, and stand-up comedy, Stam shows how indigenous artists, intellectuals, and activists are responding to the multiple crises confronting the world, such as climatological, economic, political, racial, and cultural issues. Significant attention is paid to the role of arts-based activism in supporting the struggle of indigenous artistic activism, particularly of the Yanomami people, to save the Amazon forest and the planet.