Graduation Date
Fall 2021
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in English, emphasis in Applied English Studies
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Michael Eldridge
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Lisa Tremain
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Kerri Malloy
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Subject Categories
English
Abstract
In this project, I argue for an Indigenous theory of myth in order to reconsider popular and academic paradigms about myth and its function. My goal is to articulate how Indigenous understandings might revise these paradigms by emphasizing myth as a means to foster ethical relationships of health and balance within ourselves and in the world. Inspired by the Indigenous writers Leslie Marmon Silko, Thomas King, and Gerald Vizenor, I outline how these authors think, write, and talk about the concept of myth. I explain prevailing academic paradigms, including the term’s long history of associations with old-fashioned, “primitive,” superstitious stories and thought, along with how “myth” has been used to exert and maintain power and dominance over supposedly “non-rational” cultures. My project seeks to address the lack of representations of Indigenous theoretical perspectives in academic works on myth. Ultimately, I argue, myth is best conceived as a visionary, creative storytelling potential that informs all cultural values; potential to be steered away from hegemonic social thought and, instead, towards balanced, ethical relationships.
Citation Style
MLA
Recommended Citation
Laughlin, Aaron, "Hózhó, “to walk in beauty and balance”: Indigenous writers decolonize theories of myth" (2021). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 521.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/521
Included in
English Language and Literature Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Native American Studies Commons