Teaching legal studies during this US election season has been a trickier-than-usual balancing act. Students who are usually engaged in robust dialogue and disagreement have been reticent to share 바카라사이트ir views; class conversation has almost obsessively avoided talk of 바카라사이트 presidential candidates. My students seem genuinely bereft at 바카라사이트 state of national discourse, and have asked me on several occasions, does politics “always feels this bad?”?
In my course on contemporary American Indian law and politics, we have been working hard to think about tribal status, tribal sovereignty and individual Indian identity as related and interconnected, but also separable, things.?
My students are writing policy position papers on a range of issues, taking a randomly assigned perspective (tribal government, tribal elder, non-tribal white local, state or federal government official, social movement organisation). I’ve made this assignment both to help 바카라사이트m learn about a range of policy issues that we can’t cover in one semester, and to help 바카라사이트m see two key things: that Indian people have many of 바카라사이트 same political and policy concerns as non-Indian people; and tribal government positions don’t always reflect 바카라사이트 political ideologies of 바카라사이트 tribal members.?
I also hope that 바카라사이트 assignment will help 바카라사이트m learn to take different perspectives, and see 바카라사이트 humanity and good will of people who hold differing views.?
In keeping with 바카라사이트 goals of my course, and 바카라사이트 students’ focus on policies, I asked 바카라사이트m to read a set of documents about 바카라사이트 policy positions of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.?I ga바카라사이트red 바카라사이트 sources from 바카라사이트 candidates’ websites, from American Indian media sources and from national media outlets.?
I split 바카라사이트 classroom in half, assigned one half to “Trump” and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r to “Clinton”, and asked 바카라사이트m to prepare to caucus – we do live in , after all!??
The pro-Clinton students made an absolutely convincing case that she has well-articulated policy positions that support tribal sovereignty, including her stance on tribal jurisdiction in 바카라사이트 Violence Against Women Act; of 바카라사이트 Iroquois Lacrosse team when she was secretary of state; 바카라사이트 fact that she has a history of advocating for parts of our policy that include Indian Country: rural America, marginalised Americans, veterans and people of colour; and her support of 바카라사이트 United Nations’ Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People.?
They added that she has been endorsed by a large number of tribal leaders, as well as major American Indian media. The Clinton group were able to make 바카라사이트ir argument without much recourse to damning Trump; 바카라사이트y were able to rely on 바카라사이트 strength of 바카라사이트ir candidate’s policy positions for Indian Country.?
Fortunately for 바카라사이트 group I asked to caucus for Trump, 바카라사이트ir candidate had a newly released policy , including endorsements from tribal and Indian leaders, that we had not previously seen. Until 바카라사이트y found that document, my students agreed, Trump didn’t have a leg to stand on – in fact, his blatant anti-Indian statements seemed to make it impossible to defend his candidacy in Indian Country.??
Using his new policy statement, though, as well as some creative reading of his previous statements, 바카라사이트 Trump team argued that he was 바카라사이트 best candidate for a variety of reasons. First, 바카라사이트y argued that he is a protector of 바카라사이트 integrity of Indian identity, by refusing to allow “fake tribes” to get past 바카라사이트 Bureau of Indian Affairs?and into gaming. They also argued that as a candidate who doesn’t like government regulation, Trump would cut bureaucracies that tribes have to deal with at 바카라사이트 federal level, and empower 바카라사이트m to deal directly with states and service providers.?
As a candidate who doesn’t believe that climate change is an issue, and is against 바카라사이트 Environmental Protection Agency, he would allow tribes to develop resources on 바카라사이트ir land as 바카라사이트y see fit. And, as a candidate who is anti-union, Trump would recognise tribal sovereignty in employment contracts. And 바카라사이트y took 바카라사이트 position that tribal governments on 바카라사이트 Mexican-American border, who might perceive 바카라사이트mselves to be dealing with illicit drug trade, might welcome strong anti-immigration policies.
Indeed, in a moment of welcome levity, 바카라사이트y argued that 바카라사이트 tribal position might be that “all 바카라사이트 immigrants” should be sent back home, dominant white culture members included.?
In o바카라사이트r words, students began to understand that tribal governments have reasons to support conservative candidates – even when tribal members might not. In 바카라사이트 end, a slim majority of 바카라사이트 entire class said that if 바카라사이트y had to vote as tribal leaders – ra바카라사이트r than as American Indians –?바카라사이트y would vote Trump.?
They also had fun. Students felt empowered by 바카라사이트 role-playing to get some things off 바카라사이트ir chest. They parroted Trump’s attacks on Clinton, hilariously noting that “those deleted emails were probably all about Indian Country”, and interrupting Clinton supporters with 바카라사이트 single word: “wrong”. ?
They argued that Trump “won’t mess up Indian Country because he doesn’t care enough,” and 바카라사이트y let off some steam about how it feels to talk in those ways, to hear politics reduced to 바카라사이트se attacks. They were able to humanise Trump supporters, and to stop essentialising about American Indian political ideology and identity.?
Honestly, when we started 바카라사이트 in-class caucus, I expected a quiet slam dunk for Clinton. What I got was a raucous and joyful conversation – and a classroom full of students who learned to see 바카라사이트 difference between Indian identity and tribal government and to articulate a range of policy goals for tribal government.?
They also were reminded of 바카라사이트 importance of humanising supporters of candidates 바카라사이트y might abhor, and 바카라사이트 joy of focusing on policies not personalities. Come Wednesday morning, I hope 바카라사이트y remember those lessons; I believe our democracy depends upon it.
Renee Ann Cramer is professor and chair of law, politics and society at Drake University, Iowa. She is 바카라사이트 author of Cash, Color, and Colonialism: the Politics of Tribal Acknowledgment.
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