Indigenomicon: Book Launch and Conversation
Indigenomicon: Book Launch and Conversation
featuring author Jodi Byrd in conversation with Courtney Lewis
Join RISE-US (the Research for Indigenous Studies & Engagement in the United States program) and the Kenan Institute for Ethics for a book launch and conversation event featuring author Jodi Byrd and RISE-US director Courtney Lewis.
Professor Byrd’s new book, “Indigenomicon: American Indians, Video Games, and the Structures of Dispossession” (Duke University Press, 2025) analyzes video games through the lens of Indigenous studies. Byrd demonstrates how games like Assassin’s Creed, Animal Crossing, and BioShock Infinite reveal histories of slavery, genocide, and the theft of Indigenous lands — even as their structures obscure Indigenous practices that prioritize relationships with land, water, plants, and spirits. Byrd centers Indigenous visions of dystopias to reveal how game spaces encode settler structures of governance. Conversely, they argue, the design of games also provides potential ways to resist Indigenous erasure.
Dr. Courtney Lewis, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, will lead an hourlong conversation, including Q&A, with Dr. Byrd, Professor in the Department of Race, Diaspora and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago. A reception will follow. Copies of Indigenomicon will be available for purchase, courtesy of the Regulator Bookshop.
This event is part of the Year of American Indian Pop Culture (YoAIPC), a 2025–2026 series of events and exhibitions that brings together artists, scholars, and American Indian citizens to explore the intersections of creative representation, Indigenous innovation, and revolutionary futurisms. Through public programming and scholarly discussions, this yearlong focus aims to increase visibility and deepen understandings of how American Indian creators assert identity, challenge stereotypes, and shape popular media. See the full list of YoAIPC events here.