Writing From The Contact Zone. Native American Autobiography In The Nineteenth Century

In this work Native American autobiography is taken as an example of cultural mediation and translation. Native autobiographical texts can be considered as the “translation” of cultural categories from a system into another. The genre of autobiography, interpreted as an act of self-translation, is analysed through the work of Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, an influential and controversial Nineteenth century Paiute’s spokesperson. She was the first Native American woman to write and publish a book in English: Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims (1883). Her work is examined through the lens of Translation and Cultural Studies, two multi-focal disciplines which have enriched the already existing variety of interpretations centred around the first Native American writing activity in the United States. Lorena Carbonara was awarded a PhD in Translation: Theory and Practice from the University of Bari, Italy, in 2009. She has published articles on Native American autobiography and on the connection between auto-bio-ethno-graphy and translation practices. Her current research interests include Translation Studies, Native American Studies and Women’s Studies, all taken form a cross-cultural perspective.