Description
As the Newberry Library website states, the library's Edward E. Ayer Collection "is one of the largest collections of books and manuscripts on American Indian and Indigenous Studies in the world." This informal presentation will reflect on my personal experience of this astonishing collection. As I explored it, I found that the Ayer Collection simultaneously encapsulates colonial geographies of missionization and empire, and also reflects the way that Indigenous communities took on text as a decolonial and sovereign act—and the way Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and communities continue to do so today.
About the Speaker
David Aiona Chang is Distinguished McKnight University Professor of History and American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of two books and a number of articles and essays in Native American and Native Hawaiian history who is currently finishing a book-length community history on the history of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, in collaboration with that tribal nation.
About Colloquium
Colloquium is a weekly series of talks featuring staff, fellows, and scholars who are working with the library’s vast collections. These events bring together experts from various fields to share their research on a wide range of topics, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and engage in conversation.
Colloquium is open to the public and offers a chance to explore fascinating ideas and new discoveries. No advance registration is required.