Class Description
When the technology of photography emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera was adopted as a tool of the US government for purposes related to westward expansion, scientific inquiries, and ethnographic documentation. Through the lenses of Euro-American photographers, countless photographs of Native Americans were made during this time of social turbulence, inscribing a false but persistent cultural narrative about Indigenous peoples. If we reorient our perspective of these encounters with the camera, what alternative histories might begin to surface in these historical photographs of Native Americans?
We will examine these nineteenth-century photographs through a proposed interpretive framework that considers the agency of the Native subjects in the photographic encounters. Through readings, discussions, and slow looking, the contingencies of these photographs are addressed through visual and historical context, underscored by Indigenous perspectives and the concept of visual sovereignty. Participants will gain deeper visual analysis skills and insights into the cultural malleability of photographic images.
This course will include a collection presentation from the Newberry's Ayer Collection of historical photographs.
Kristie Kahns works in the photographic field, as a teaching artist, image-maker, writer, and emerging scholar. She received an MA in Arts Administration & Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a BA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago.
Materials List
Required
- Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, Third edition. Bloomsbury Academic, 2022. ISBN: 9781350346086
- The instructor will provide scans of the necessary chapters. You are also welcome to use your own copy of the book.
- Other Instructor-Distributed Materials
Recommended
- Martha A. Sandweiss, Print the Legend: Photography and the American West. Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780300103151 [Due to price, this book is not required. The instructor will scan the required chapters and share as PDFs.]
- Ned Blackhawk, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History. Yale University Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780300244052
First Assignment
- Martha A. Sandweiss, “Introduction,” in Print the Legend: Photography and the American West, 2-14.
- Linda Tuhiwai Smith, “Chapter 1: Imperialism, History, Writing and Theory” in Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, 20-43.
- Ned Blackhawk, interview by Andrew March, video, June 28, 2023, https://www.wgbh.org/forum-network/lectures/the-rediscovery-of-america-native-peoples-the-unmaking-of-us-history
- Optional Reading: Ned Blackhawk, “Introduction,” in The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History, 1-11.
Cost and Registration
6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We now offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($255), and Sponsor ($285). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
Support the Newberry
Your generosity is vital in keeping the library’s programs, exhibitions, and reading rooms free and accessible to everyone.
Make a Gift