The “Pocahontas Perplex” in the depiction of Indigenous women of the so-called new world in nineteenth-century German literature
| dc.contributor.author | Hatfield, Charles | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Perkins, Pam (English, Film, Theatre & Media) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Richter, Lars (German and Slavic Studies) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Jaeger, Stephan (German and Slavic Studies) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Heberger, Alexandra (German and Slavic Studies) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-01-12T20:54:22Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-01-12T20:54:22Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2021-12-29 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-12-18 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2021-12-29T17:31:22Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | German and Slavic Studies | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts (M.A.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | German authors of the nineteenth century wrote numerous fictional stories about the Indigenous Peoples of the so-called new world. Much research has been published concerning the depiction of these Indigenous Peoples by these German authors. Very little has been written, however, specifically about the depiction of female Indigenous Peoples in these stories. Indigenous women themselves believe they have been forgotten when it comes to the revelation of racism and sexism that applies specifically to them. The purpose of this study is to examine how nineteenth-century German authors depicted Indigenous women. Systematic racism and sexism is revealed by showing that it is the German authors’ Eurocentric cultural belief system that makes their intention to depict positive Indigenous heroines impossible. The methodology used in this study is to start by identifying problematic stereotypes that refer specifically to one notable fictional Indigenous woman, Nscho-tschi, from Karl May’s Winnetou I. Then these stereotypes are used as a basis for studying other Indianerinnen in German stories, to see if these same stereotypes reveal themselves repeatedly. The result of the first part of the study is that Nscho-tschi has many of the characteristics of Pocahontas, the main character in a settler myth of the seventeenth century that is still well known today. The fact that Pocahontas is looked upon as a positive role model is perplexing to Indigenous women. Her image is one that gives the impression that Indigenous women welcomed the European invaders to their land. This concept is referred to as “The Pocahontas Perplex,” as defined by Indigenous activist Rayna Green. Some depicted Indianerinnen in the works evaluated can be put into the “Pocahontas” category. Others behave with enough independence to disqualify them from an association with Pocahontas. The final conclusion is that though the goal of German writers to present a positive picture of the Indigenous women of Turtle Island (the place settlers refer to as North America) is a noble one, these intentions cannot be fulfilled when the writers have neither the knowledge nor cultural background to complete this task. | en_US |
| dc.description.note | May 2021 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/36171 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.subject | Indigenous Peoples | en_US |
| dc.subject | German | en_US |
| dc.subject | Ninteenth Century | en_US |
| dc.subject | Karl May | en_US |
| dc.subject | Racism | en_US |
| dc.subject | Systemic Racism | en_US |
| dc.subject | Patriarchy | en_US |
| dc.subject | Feminism | en_US |
| dc.title | The “Pocahontas Perplex” in the depiction of Indigenous women of the so-called new world in nineteenth-century German literature | en_US |
| dc.type | master thesis | en_US |