Suppression of Native Americans Through Law: An Althussarian Critique of Erdrich’s The Night Watchman

Abstract

The present study investigated the issues of suppression of Native Americans on the part of Euro-Americans through Law in Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman (2020) with a focus on using law a state apparatus as specified by Althusser.  Key characters of this novel i.e. Wazhashk, Patrice, Roderickhelp to illustrate the centrality of hegemony of Euro-Americans. For Althusser, the state apparatus includes the Government, the Administration, the Army, the Police, the Courts, the Prisons, etc. In order to bring the issues of hegemony of Euro-Americans into the centre, Erdrich’s novel needs to be analyzed from the perspective of Althusser’s ideological state apparatuses especially Law. This study was qualitative in nature and used the research method of textual analysis in order to expose hegemonic treatment of Native Americans on the part of Euro-Americans. The research scholars of Native American Studies will get benefit from the findings of this work.