Both the zombie and the Indian have existed liminally in the scope of Western thought for decades... more Both the zombie and the Indian have existed liminally in the scope of Western thought for decades. While the iconic popular culture zombie as we know it today is largely an invention of the 20th century, its roots are traceable to early points of contact between the colonizer and the colonized. From even these early roots the zombie was seen to be in conflict with Christianity and was associated with pagan practices, as the image of the "ignoble savage" later came to also be. The liminality of the zombie and the Indian have given them the shared trait of being seen as threats to the integrity of the incorporated group; the zombie as a threat to the "healthy" survivors, and the Indian as a threat to the progress of Western civilization. This paper explores the religions tensions underlying the "zombie" referent, specifically as they appear in canonical zombie cinema, and applies indigenous critical theory to generate a discussion and analysis of the colonial relationship between Christianity and indigeneity with an eye to decolonization, Vizenor's survivance, and the future of indigenous identity and spirituality.
Both the zombie and the Indian have existed liminally in the scope of Western thought for decades... more Both the zombie and the Indian have existed liminally in the scope of Western thought for decades. While the iconic popular culture zombie as we know it today is largely an invention of the 20th century, its roots are traceable to early points of contact between the colonizer and the colonized. From even these early roots the zombie was seen to be in conflict with Christianity and was associated with pagan practices, as the image of the "ignoble savage" later came to also be. The liminality of the zombie and the Indian have given them the shared trait of being seen as threats to the integrity of the incorporated group; the zombie as a threat to the "healthy" survivors, and the Indian as a threat to the progress of Western civilization. This paper explores the religions tensions underlying the "zombie" referent, specifically as they appear in canonical zombie cinema, and applies indigenous critical theory to generate a discussion and analysis of the colonial relationship between Christianity and indigeneity with an eye to decolonization, Vizenor's survivance, and the future of indigenous identity and spirituality.
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Papers by Gabe Judd