Indigenizing the Academy - by Devon Abbott Mihesuah & Angela Cavender Wilson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Continuing the thought-provoking dialogue launched in the acclaimed anthology Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians, leading Native scholars from diverse disciplines and communities offer uncompromising assessments of current scholarship on and by Indigenous peoples and the opportunities awaiting them in the Ivory Tower. The issues covered are vital and extensive, including how activism shapes the careers of Native academics; the response of academe and Native scholars to current issues and needs in Indian Country; and the problems of racism, territoriality, and ethnic fraud in academic hiring. The contributors offer innovative approaches to incorporating Indigenous values and perspectives into the research methodologies and interpretive theories of scholarly disciplines such as psychology, political science, archaeology, and history and suggest ways to educate and train Indigenous students. They provide examples of misunderstanding and sometimes hostility from both non-Natives and Natives that threaten or circumscribe the careers of Native scholars in higher education. They also propose ways to effect meaningful change through building networks of support inside and outside the Native academic community. Designed for classroom use, Indigenizing the Academy features a series of probing questions designed to spark student discussion and essay-writing. Devon Abbott Mihesuah is a professor of applied Indigenous studies and history at Northern Arizona University. Her books include Indigenous American Women: Decolonization, Empowerment, Activism and Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians, both published by the University of Nebraska Press. Angela Cavender Wilson is an assistant professor of Indigenous history at Arizona State University.

Review Quotes

"A thought-provoking collection of articles by Native American scholars regarding the intellectual and psychological environments they encounter as students, university faculty, researchers, and authors."--William G. Demmert Jr., "Great Plains Quarterly"

"The anthology demonstrates that courage is a good thing, calling the academy on its overexposure to Western rubrics and pointing out trails to a new, more Native, set of methods and theories."-"CHOICE,"

"The volume is certainly addressed to readers in the university community, but the authors refrain from academic jargon, making the book accessible to nonacademic audiences who might learn a great deal about contemporary Native American perspectives and issues."

About the Author

Devon Abbott Mihesuah is a professor of applied Indigenous studies and history at Northern Arizona University. Her books include Indigenous American Women: Decolonization, Empowerment, Activism and Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians, both published by the University of Nebraska Press. Angela Cavender Wilson is an assistant professor of Indigenous history at Arizona State University.