Description
When D'Arcy McNickle (Salish and Kootenai) heard in 1934 that the Office of Indian Affairs, under the new leadership of John Collier, had recently committed to "employ Indians at the Bureau whenever possible," he applied for a post in the Indian Service. McNickle and other Native activists and intellectuals like John Joseph Matthews (Osage) and Ella Deloria (Yankton Dakota) navigated New Deal politics nationally, authoring reports and producing scholarship on conditions across Indian Country during this era of crisis and scarcity. This talk considers the conflicts and alignments between their work and how struggles over Indian New Deal policy played out locally in tribal politics, where tribal leaders and members both found opportunity and obstacles with the New Deal order.
About the Speaker
Antonina Woodsum is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Wesleyan University, where she teaches and researches on Indigenous politics, carceral power, and labor in North America. She is the author of the recently published "Settler Carcerality in Southern California" (Journal of Settler Colonial Studies). Her current manuscript-in-progress is a social history of policing the "special Indian liquor laws" during the first half of the 20th century.
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.