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Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

Abstract

By exploring placemaking and indigenous memory, this paper argues that space can and should be utilized in movements against oppression. Grassroots resistance is increasingly necessary as the globally marginalized face the constant threats of colonization, incarceration, and fascism. With a grounding in memory studies and a transnational perspective, I analyze Maori movements in Aotearoa New Zealand and American Indian movements in North America in tandem with each other. Charting the histories of dominant space production in these twin contexts allow for a witnessing of each harmful nation-building project. This informed my conclusion that both global solidarities and place-based movements are critical tools for survival for marginalized communities. In practice, and in the tradition of indigenous struggles, these tactics can be liberatory in their reclamation of land and memory.

Author Biography

Maddie Schumacher (they/them) is a graduating senior at Macalester College originally from Madison, Wisconsin. They are an American Studies major with a concentration in Urban Studies, a minor in Environmental Studies, and a particular affinity for ceramics. They are very interested in urban social policy, movement theory, placemaking, and how individuals express their identities. They are so grateful to their queer siblings, namely Jessi Alex and Anni; their brown and black relatives, espeically Arnold, Ximena, Ojashvi, and William; their family at the Macalester Department of Multicultural Life; their radical friends, Maddie, Marg, and Becca; their amazing partner Cara; their home family Evan, Zach, Moy, Mama, and Dada; and all of the others who try to understand.

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