At Thanksgiving, Professor Robbie Richardson on Indigenous Literature and History

With Thanksgiving approaching, PAW asked Richardson to shed light on the historical relationship between America’s native people and European colonists by recommending three books on Indigenous literature and history

Courtesy of Robbie Richardson

By James Swinehart ’27

Published Nov. 26, 2024

1 min read

Robbie Richardson is an assistant professor in Princeton’s Department of English specializing in 18^th-century British literature, Indigenous literature, and the intertwined and tumultuous relationship between the two throughout American history. A Ph.D. in English and cultural studies, Richardson has long focused on the interaction between English and Indigenous cultures, including in his book, The Savage and Modern Self: North American Indians in Eighteenth-Century British Literature and Culture, which focuses on British depictions of North American natives over time. His current work focuses on “reading” Indigenous material culture and ancestral belongings, including tomahawks and tobacco pipes, analogous to how we might read more conventional literary texts.

The cover of "As We Have Always Done," featuring what looks like an illustration of a river and trees in the background.

As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance

By Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Michi Saagig Nishnaabeg)

Simpson is an excellent writer of fiction and a musician, but in this book, she focuses on the practices and theories of Indigenous cultural and political resurgence. Taking lessons from Indigenous elders, activists, academics, and the land itself, she shows what education and life might look like when truly freed from the institutions and structures that have suppressed Indigenous knowledge and kept Indigenous cultures from thriving.

The cover of "The Rediscovery of America."

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History

By Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone)

Historian Ned Blackhawk provides a new history of the United States in this impressive and important book, one which places Native nations and people at its heart. Throughout this volume, he shows that Indigenous history is central to the formation of America and that despite continuous and ongoing challenges, Indigenous nations continue to survive, resist, and shape the trajectory of the nation.

Three Books