Reservation Dogs x Production Sovereignty with Karrmen Crey

We're so thrilled to be joined by the incredible Karrmen Crey (she/her) for this episode about FX's coming-of-age dramedy, Reservation Dogs! Released via Hulu from 2021-2023, this show is notable not only for its rich storytelling and beloved protagonists (shoutout to Bear, Cheese, Elora, and Willie Jack!), but also for its entirely Indigenous creative team from the creators to the cast and crew.

In this episode, Marcelle (who is a huge fan of the show) offers some insight into how Reservation Dogs came to be. We're talking co-creators Sterlin Harjo and Taiki Waititi, the success of Thor: Ragnarok, and the influence of both The Sundance Film Festival and Toronto’s imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. Karrmen then helps Marcelle and Hannah think through Indigenous sovereignty in the context of cultural production, pulling on her own research about the rise and influence of Indigenous media. And then, FINALLY, Marcelle, Hannah and Karrmen talk about specific episodes and characters that mean something to each of them. If you haven't watched the show already, you'll still get a ton out of this episode that really breaks down the material effects of representation created by the represented.

Karrmen Crey is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. To learn more about her work, check out Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada, available now!