Visitors and Denizens
I teach social science research methods and students learn that great care must be taken to prevent harming anyone in the name of research. In fact, if people are involved in a research project on our campus (as opposed to inanimate objects such as films or political speeches) then a review committee oversees the research. This is known as the Institutional Review Board, or just IRB. Continue reading
The Osage-Lakota connection
When my colleague Cornel Pewewardy sends emails to the Native American Studies faculty on our campus he often addresses us as “Relatives.” In a similar vein, when I meet a fellow Osage I think of her or him as a cousin. Folks outside the community are somewhat puzzled by this, but this is how I was raised. Continue reading
Is science “naked”?
Laura Nader likes to write about metaphors and science, and asserts in her book that science is naked. Continue reading
Yesterday I wrote about science discourse and the framing of Native Americans as anti-progressive. Often this occurs within the context of controversies that have the effect of cleaving one side from another: us versus them, insiders versus outsiders. Continue reading
The same old frame
What frames commonly describe American Indian perspectives? In the context of issues about science, health, risk and the environment, Indigenous views are typically relegated to the realm of religion and superstition. Continue reading
Who gets to name?
My formal scholarship in mass communication studies has focused on framing: how words, terms, metaphors and meaning emerge from the way in which concepts are “framed.”
Science in context
Folks are packing up and leaving the communication conference in Denver, and I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned from the presentations about science. One thing is clear: if the indigenous community hopes to elevate Native Science to the same plane as Western Science, a paradigm shift needs to occur in our thinking about science. Continue reading
Kidnappers and scalpers
A missive from Denver , where I’m presenting a paper on the intersection of Indian science, Western science and identity. The paper examines how the definitions of indigenous, Indigeneity and Native American are fraught with problems: the origins of such definitions arise from scientists, politicians, journalists, scholars, judges, novelists and artists outside Indian Country. Continue reading
The paradox of artistic renderings
Artistic renderings of American Indians most certainly helped frame notions of Indigeneity and solidified how settlers and citizens conceptualized Native America. For example, George Catlin famously painted Indians, showed his work at every opportunity, and published several books that depicted Indian life. Continue reading
The politics of naming
The intersection of Native science with Western science has taken an unexpected turn into a discussion of American Indian identity. Seems that our work examining science discourse in mass media has revealed deeply held values about Native Americans—most of which are generated by non-Indians.
Cynthia (Ištá Tȟó Tȟó) Coleman Emery's Blog 