"The Wish to be a Red Indian:" Indianthusiasm and Racial Ideology in Germany

This dissertation analyzes the role of Indianer – Germans (and other Europeans) who wish to be Native American so much that they embody and practice essentialized notions of Native American cultural traditions – in German racial discourses. Indianer reconstructions of indigenous identities are based on fictional, romanticized, and racist representations of nineteenth century Native Americans. Myths of race and memory, as well as consumption of medically-engineered zygotes, and participation in plastic tourism all contribute to the racial and nationalist discourses of “Indianthusiasm” in Germany. Using critical race theory, discourse analysis, and ethnohistorical frameworks, this research reveals nuanced resurgences of WWII era German racial ideologies, as well as a broader, global look at misrepresentations of indigeneity and environmental stewardship