Carrie Dawson's Essay 'An Indian Without A Country'

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In her essay “An Indian without a Country,” Carrie Dawson explores the ways that political Indigenous literature is downplayed, and specifically how Thomas King’s “Borders” advocates social justice by discussing how Canadian citizenship restricts Indigenous communities. One way Dawson develops this argument is by referencing multiple times to direct quotes from the short story to suggest that King is denouncing the validity of colonial borders and demanding sovereignty for the Blackfoot peoples. Additionally, Dawson argues that the story-telling by King’s mother and by the television-news crew represents how citizenship is not merely a legal figment, but a community that you actively participate in. Moreover, Dawson emphasizes that while politically

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