Description
POL 200 Special Topics: Native Hawai'ian and Indigenous Politics - This course explores Indigenous politics through diverse perspectives on sovereignty, belonging, and knowledge. We examine how Indigenous peoples have navigated and contested colonial projects of dispossession while asserting enduring forms of agency and self-determination. Readings and films trace how sovereignty operates not only through formal governance but also in intimate, epistemic, and embodied domains. Topics include the politics of tourism, issues of representation, and alternative epistemologies that challenge the normalizing gaze of the academy. We also study recent Land Back movements and court rulings that have restored Indigenous ownership or stewardship over significant tracts of land, analyzing their implications for federalism, property, and environmental governance. By centering Indigenous voices and political strategies, the course invites students to rethink core concepts of American politics, sovereignty, citizenship, and territory.Prerequisite: POL 150. Pending Senate approval.