What is it about?
The queer/LGTBQ2+ characters in Leslie Marmon Silko's Almanac of the Dead have been very controversial. As I demonstrate, these characters are best understood through Queer Indigenous Theory. The novel's queer characters fall into two groups: a group of rich, privileged, and socially-prominent monsters who refuse to admit any queer identity and a group who treat their non-heteronormative identities as an reason to question their entire culture. Silko urges us to avoid the fate of the former group of characters and encourages us to emulate the second group. She asks readers to let go of their investment in our culture's social hierarchies and to seek out solidarity with all oppressed or marginalized individuals.
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Why is it important?
The article responds to a major debate among critics of Silko's Almanac of the Dead. Many critics describe Silko's portrayal of her queer/LGBTQ2+ characters as homophobic, a description that they admit is at odds with the novel's general focus on inclusion and social justice. This paper demonstrates that Silko's queer characters actually uphold her message.
Perspectives
This article relies on queer indigenous theory and on the concept of intersectionality. Intersectionality is vital to my research, and I appreciated another chance to use this perspective. Indigenous queer theory was entirely new to me when I began the paper, and I learned a great deal about the theory as I prepared the paper.
Kathleen Champlin
Ball State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Queer Desires and Destroyer Identities in Leslie Marmon Silko's <em>Almanac of the Dead</em>, Studies in American Indian Literatures, January 2018, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.5250/studamerindilite.30.2.0034.
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