From survivance to thrivance
The becoming of a defiant Indian self in Zitkála-Šá’s American Indian Stories
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20253136 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ashik Istiak (0000-0002-9151-356X, American Graduate University, corresponding author), Fairooz Saiyara (0000-0002-1634-4671, University of New Mexico) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cogent Arts and Humanities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2331-1983 • E-ISSN: 2331-1983 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/23311983.2026.2623567 |
| OpenAlex | W7127048822 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Zitkala-Ša’s autobiographical short story collection American Indian Stories presents the coming of age of an Indian girl. The protagonist finds herself in a cruel Indian-hating boarding school system that continuously ‘disciplines’ her Indian self. However, going back to her mother in the reservation land, she regains a sense of belonging leading her to be a defiant Indian woman. This paper identifies the first phase of the protagonist’s life at boarding school as a form of survivance as described by Gerald Vizenor since at that time it was necessary for her to survive though she made occasional resistance. Then, the phase of her soul-regaining and finally, resigning the job from a settler colonial institution may be seen as a form of thrivance as described by Taté Walker. This way, the paper maps a journey from survivance to thrivance observing the life of the protagonist in select stories that appeared in American Indian Stories
Boarding school · Colonialism · Indian literature · Institution · Psychology of self · Reservation · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Short Stories in Global Literature
| Highly cited | No |
|---|