This graduate course examines narratives from diaspora, Indigenous and settler populations in Canada that highlight territorial claiming, whether it be in rural or urban environments, and in forms as varied as traditional Indigenous stories or hip hop’s practice of “reppin’ ”. In the landmark 1997 land claim Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that traditional Indigenous story was admissible in court as evidence of land ownership, legitimizing a kind of literary land claim. How do the narratives in question claim land, and what does that say about the various communities? What are the politics of claiming stolen land, and how do class, race, cultural practice, gender and sexuality play into questions of territorial belonging, nationhood and connection to place?
