English Language and Literature ETDs
Publication Date
Summer 7-28-2026
Abstract
This dissertation explores how land-based writing and Indigenous Futurisms can reshape writing pedagogy in higher education, focusing on English courses at the University of New Mexico. At the center of this project is the Land Memoirs assignment, which I designed to encourage students to engage land as a living relative and active participant in the learning process. Through the frameworks of Indigenous Futurisms, Land as Pedagogy, Rhetorical Sovereignty, and Pueblo understandings of marking, I analyze the rhetorical choices across student multimodal narratives, reflections, and interviews to examine the assignment’s pedagogical impact. My findings reveal epistemic differences in how Indigenous and non-Indigenous students engage relationalities to land and futurity, alongside the role of multimodal composition in Indigenous rhetorical practice. I argue that Land Memoirs demonstrates the generative and regenerative possibilities of Indigenous futurist pedagogies for writing toward Indigenous futures.
Degree Name
English
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
English
First Committee Member (Chair)
Bethany Davila
Second Committee Member
Sarah Hernandez
Third Committee Member
Jennifer Nez Denetdale
Fourth Committee Member
Cristyn L. Elder
Fifth Committee Member
Lloyd L. Lee
Language
English
Keywords
Indigenous Futurisms, Indigenous Rhetorics, Land-based Writing, Multimodal Composition, Writing Pedagogy
Document Type
Dissertation
Recommended Citation
Mendoza, Madeline R.. "REGENERATIVE WRITING: THE RHETORICS OF INDIGENOUS FUTURISMS AS PEDAGOGICAL PRAXIS." (2026). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/engl_etds/473