My Account Wish List
Advanced Search
Print - Close Window
www.greenwood.com/catalog/GM0841.aspx
All Greenwood Products
Shaman or Sherlock? The Native American Detective
(Click to Enlarge)
Gina Macdonald, Andrew Macdonald
ISBN: 0-313-30841-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-30841-3
296 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 11/30/2001
List Price: $131.95 (UK Sterling Price: £91.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: Fictional depictions of Native American concepts of justice, crime, and the investigation of crime are explored in this original work. Shaman or Sherlock explores depictions created by Native American authors themselves, as well as those created by outsiders with mainstream agendas. The most successful of these writers fuse authentic Native American culture with standard genre conventions, thus providing an appealing, empathetic view of little-understood or underappreciated groups, as well as insight into issues of cross-cultural communication. Dealing with such significant concepts as acculturation, regional diversity, and assimilation, this unique study evaluates over 200 detective stories.

Though the crime novel began in Europe as a manifestation of Enlightenment rationality and scientific methodology, the Native American detective story moves into the realm of the spiritual and intuitive, often incorporating depictions of non-material phenomena. Shaman or Sherlock? explores how geographical and tribal differences, degrees of assimilation, and the evolution of age-old cultural patterns shape the Native American detective story.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
    Two Ways of Knowing: Mainstream and Native American
    Native American Crime and Detection Novels: Earth and Spirit Power
    The Southwestern Detective Story: A Reflection of the Land
    The Southwestern Detective: Shaman or Sherlock?
    Shamans and Sherlocks: Unraveling Crime in the Mountains and on the Plains
    The Northwest: Shamanistic Horror Infuses Eerie Rain Forests
    Alaska and the Canadian Northwest Territories: Wilderness Challenges and Human Limitations
    The East Coast and Great Lakes Nations: Modern Reincarnations of Past Glory
    Conclusion: The "Indian" in Detective Fiction-- Present Realities and Future Directions
    Bibliography
    Index
About the Author: GINA MACDONALD is a professor of English at Nicholls State University. Her books include James Clavell: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996), Robert Ludlum: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1997), and, with Andrew Macdonald, Shape-Shifting (Greenwood, 2000).

ANDREW MACDONALD is a professor of English at Loyola University who has published widely on popular culture issues. His books include Howard Fast: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996) and, with Gina Macdonald, Shape-Shifting (Greenwood, 2000).
LCC Class: 813
All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO
130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117 805-968-1911