Mari Sandoz: A Study in Post-Colonial Discourse

In her works Mari Sandoz offers an encompassing view of American history which includes not only the history of the white newcomers, but also that of the indigenous peoples of the northern Western hemisphere. A descendant of Swiss settlers in Nebraska, Sandoz was keenly aware of the multicultural facets of the United States and masterfully fused history, ethnology, and fiction. Highlighting Sandoz’s major works from a post-colonial perspective, this study brings her approach into focus, and thus argues against an overly narrow conception of the American literary canon.