Kalender des Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik

The Force and Diné Futures
Renae Watchman 
Indigenous Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

As the “first” Indigenous Nation on Turtle Island to dub Star Wars: A New Hope into the Navajo language, Sǫ́’tah Anaa’: Siih Náhásdlįį’ qualifies as another situational form of “First Contact.” The Lucas blockbuster immediately resonated with Diné (Navajo) people upon its release in 1977. The continued Star Wars fanfare has iconic artistic contributions by Diné artist Ryan Singer, whose work also depicts “Contact and Conflict” in very Indigenous (Diné-specific) ways. His Diné aesthetic reflects a “Diné Force” that harmonizes worlds beyond the one we all currently share. In a similar vein, Diné filmmaker Nanobah Becker’s The 6th World: An Origin Story imagines Diné Futures built upon ancient Diné epistemologies and sustenance. In this talk, I will introduce how traditional stories and teachings intersect with popular culture to create meaning for the worlding of Diné beyond the Fifth World. In the epic oeuvre of Diné origin stories, there are a series of worlds from which we emerge: The First World to the Second World to the Third World to the Fourth World, and finally in contemporary times, we find ourselves in the Fifth World (or the Glittering World). To imagine Diné lives, stories, and presence in a world beyond the Fifth is to normalize and expect vibrant Diné futures. 
 

https://uni-flensburg.webex.com/uni-flensburg-de/j.php?MTID=mf41bf2a0c68b0eff63f65bc20f6c340c