Author Archives: Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

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About Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Professor and researcher who studies science communication, particularly issues that impact American Indians. Dr. Coleman is an enrolled citizen of the Osage Nation.

Pictures in Our Heads

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Imagining The Other We moved to Iran when I was 10. One evening the six of us sat around the dinner table and peppered by mom and stepdad with questions about life in the Middle East. Mother had bought tubs … Continue reading →

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On Authenticity

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

We are of the Grayhorse District Daughter number two (Wee-Hay in Osage) has urged me to take whichever road I wish in the blog, including more personal insights. And I demure because I’ve made a pledge to wax on about … Continue reading →

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Fighting Tobacco Use in Indian Country

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Bring on the Campaign For many Indian tribes tobacco is sacred, so when anti-smoking campaigns hit Indian Country, strategists wisely invoked Native value systems to appeal to smoking cessation. Campaign strategists figured out many years ago that appealing to audiences … Continue reading →

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Linkage to Nature

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Moon as Metaphor Yesterday’s blog about bloodletting got me to thinking about how the Western scientific paradigm clings mightily to belief systems, making it no less ideological than any other Weltanschauung (worldview).

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Imagining the Construct

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Bloodletting as Metaphor As a sophomore in college I was introduced to George Herbert Mead and felt inspired by the notion that we create a social self that we present to the social world, and that the social self is … Continue reading →

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Thinking about Media

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Social Community Today’s blog is a departure from science and an extension of my discussions about film.

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The Liminal Space Continued

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Liminal Space Continued As Rachel and I deconstructed the film Reel Injun and liminal space I thought about the films that avoid the tropes of old, as noted in yesterday’s blog post.

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Filming with Broad Strokes

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The Liminal Space My daughter Rachel and I went to see the new documentary Reel Injun last evening, a film about Indians in cinema. It’s an ideal entree for an introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the boatload of books on … Continue reading →

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Faith and science

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Buy a piece of spirituality Philosophers have long struggled with the intersection of their belief systems that embrace religion and their attachments to science. Not surprisingly most Americans say they are religious: only about 15% consider themselves atheists or agnostic, … Continue reading →

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Framing science

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Is science naked? Western science is framed as being devoid of cultural values and is, in fact, perceived as “naked.” Anthropologist Laura Nader writes that naked science is “stripped of its ideologized vestments” and I argue that Western science is … Continue reading →

Posted in framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science | 4 Comments