Planning in Re-existence: Decolonial Cracks and Indigenous Futurities

With limited recognition of rights and Land claims, Indigenous Peoples are constantly developing ways to resignify, reclaim, and reimagine the futurities of their Land. I refer to this as “planning in re-existence.” Building on decoloniality theory, planning in re-existence describes the mechanisms, Knowledges, and struggles Indigenous Peoples experience and negotiate under the dominance of settler states. Drawing from the disputes about the Bears Ears National Monument, I use critical place inquiry to share three stories that unveil decolonial cracks from the perspective of Tribal Nations and explain re-existence as a theoretical and practical framework to redefine planning with Indigenous communities.