Injustice in Indian country : jurisdictional conflicts and sexual violence against native women

This thesis examines jurisdictional conflicts in the prosecution of sexual violence against\ud Native women in Indian country as well as the way contemporary responses to these\ud conflicts have been framed. American colonization is characterized both by sexual\ud violence against Native women and legal violence against Native communities as a\ud whole. These twin aspects of colonialism manifest in modern jurisdictional conflicts.\ud Despite the clear relationship between colonization, sexual violence and law, academic\ud scholarship fails to discuss how colonial narratives shape jurisdictional conflicts, while\ud also centering the experiences of Native women. This research challenges dominant\ud approaches by tracing the historical legacy of colonization while incorporating Native\ud women as active agents. In doing so, I argue that jurisdictional conflicts are not only\ud legacies of colonialism, but actively maintain and inscribe colonial violence. I also show\ud that Native women engage a differential consciousness to strategically navigate colonial\ud power structures to agitate for social change