Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality: Stories of American Indian Relocation and Reclamation

The number of people claiming to be American Indian has increased due to changing racial and cultural dynamics in the US, with seven out of ten American Indians living in or near cities. In Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality, Michelle Jacobs examines the new reality of the American Indian urban experience, focusing on how some individuals are invested in reclaiming Indigenous identities while others are more invested in relocating their sense of self to the urban environment. Jacobs shows that "Indianness" is a highly contested phenomenon among these two groups, with some accused of being wannabes and others accused of being exclusionary and policing the boundaries of Indianness.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 10 January 2023
Publisher: New York University Press

In the past fifty years, the United States has witnessed a significant surge in the number of individuals identifying as American Indians, from just over half a million in 1960 to over three million in 2013. Moreover, seven out of ten American Indians reside in or near cities, rather than in tribal communities, and this number is steadily increasing. Michelle Jacobs' book, Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality, delves into the evolving urban experience of American Indians. Through ethnographic research conducted over two and a half years, Jacobs explores how some individuals are actively engaged in reclaiming Indigenous identities, while others prioritize relocating their sense of self within the urban environment. These groups not only assign different meanings to indigeneity but also employ distinct strategies to assert and maintain their Native identities amidst a landscape saturated with false memories and fabricated representations of "Indian-ness." Jacobs reveals that "Indianness" is a highly contentious phenomenon within these two groups, with some facing accusations of being posers who merely mimic Indian behavior, while others face charges of exclusivity and enforcing boundaries around Indianness. Collectively, the interconnected narratives of reclaimers and relocators shed light on the challenges faced by Indigenous and Indigenous-identified individuals in urban pan-Indian communities.
Indigenous Memory, Urban Reality presents a nuanced portrayal of who has the legitimate authority to claim and embody American Indian identities, and what this reveals about the contemporary construction of race.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479849123