Dating against settler colonialism: Katie Schultz, Emma Noyes, ‘”Then Who Are You?”: Young American Indian and Alaska Native Women Navigating Cultural Connectedness in Dating and Relationships’,Genealogy, 2020 | settler colonial studies blog

Dating against settler colonialism: Katie Schultz, Emma Noyes, ‘”Then Who Are You?”: Young American Indian and Alaska Native Women Navigating Cultural Connectedness in Dating and Relationships’,Genealogy, 2020

22Dec20

Abstract: Despite disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence among American Indian
and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women and associations between adolescent dating violence and partner
violence in adulthood, little to no research has focused on dating and relationships among AI/AN
adolescents. Using exploratory thematic analysis with focus group data (N = 16), we explore this
topic among a sample of young AI/AN women (ages 15–17). Results suggest that dating may enhance
or inhibit connections to culture or tribal identity. Moreover, responsibility for sustaining cultural
knowledge, practices, and lineage may influence choices of reproductive partners for Native women
living within colonial structures of governance. The greatest threat in relationships were similar to
those from settler colonialism—loss of culture and consequently, self. Promoting healthy relationships
among this population should include cultural safety, identity, and involvement, as well as a focus on
broader systems, including enrollment policies, that may influence these relationships. Supportive
networks and mentorship related to identity and cultural involvement should be available for young
AI/AN women. In response to this Special Issue’s call for work that offers creative approaches to
conveying knowledge and disruptions to what are considered acceptable narrative approaches we
offer illustrations as well as text.

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