Friday, November 10, 2017

More than a T-Shirt Story: What Can a (Cancelled) GAP T-Shirt Tell Us about US-Indian History and its Popular Representations? How can a T-shirt tell a story about one of the most important but often forgotten aspects of US history? This presentation will discuss a controversial T-shirt with the slogan “Manifest Destiny,” which the clothing company GAP launched in 2012. The T-shirt had to be pulled from the market within about three weeks, in response to an outburst of indignation from American Indians, activists and consumers. We will discuss what sparked the controversy, and what we can learn from it about US-Indian history and its representations in the popular imagination.