Craig Womack is an author and professor of Native American Studies, Native American literature. He self-identifies as being of Creek people, Creek and Cherokee descent, but is not enrolled with any Native American tribe. Womack wrote the book ''Red on Red: Native American Literary Separatism'', a book of literary criticism which argues that the dominant approach to academic study of Native Americans in the United States, Native American literature is incorrect. Instead of using post-structuralism, poststructural and postcolonial approaches that do not have their basis in Native culture or experience, Womack claims the work of the Native critic should be to develop tribal models of criticism. In 2002, Craig won Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year Winner. Along with Robert Allen Warrior, Jace Weaver and Greg Sarris, Womack asserted themselves as a American Indian literary nationalism, nationalist (American Indian literary nationalism), which is part of an activist movement. The movement significantly altered the critical methodologies used to approach Native American literature. Womack has also produced a novel, ''Drowning in Fire'', about the lives of young gay Native Americans. Currently, Womack is employed as a professor at Emory University, specializing in Native American literature.

Personal life

Womack has claimed that both of his parents were "mixed-blood native people" of Muscogee and Cherokee descent. He is not enrolled in any Muscogee or Cherokee tribe. Despite having no legal status as Native American, Womack has said he considers his physical appearance to "fit the phenotypical stereotypes of indigenous peoples". He has claimed that police and authorities have subjected him to racism because they can always tell he is "Indian" by his appearance.

Politics

A group of self-identified Native American academics and students, including Womack, created a blog called "Against a Politics of Disposability" to defend Andrea Smith (academic), Andrea Smith after she was exposed for Pretendian, falsely claiming to be Cherokee.

Bibliography

Books

*''Drowning in Fire'', 200/1 *''Red on Red: Native American literary separatism'', 1999. * Teuton ''Reasoning Together: The Native Critics Collective'' University of Oklahoma Press, 2008. * Art as performance, story as criticism: reflections on native literary aesthetics University of Oklahoma Press, 2009.

Presentations

*
Baptists and Witches: Multiple Jurisdictions in a Muskogee Creek Story
''Southern Spaces''. July 17, 2007.
"Cosmopolitanism and Nationalism in Native American Literature: A Panel Discussion."
''Southern Spaces'', 21 June 2011.

References

External links

Womack's University of Oklahoma listing
article in the American Indian Quarterly.
2005 Interview with blogccritics magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Womack, Craig American literary theorists American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people who self-identify as being of Muscogee descent Emory University faculty Living people Year of birth missing (living people)