The wait is almost over; this year’s annual Native American Graduate Student Symposium is just two weeks away! The title and theme for the symposium this year is Dreaming to Knowledge: Acorn Eaters in Transnational Waters. This theme was selected by our symposium committee because of how it emphasizes Native epistemologies, transnational dialogue, and California Indian peoples. Since this is our first symposium that is open to the entire UC system, we are more excited than ever to hear the multiplicity of voices doing research concerning Indigenous peoples in California and beyond.
The first annual Native American Graduate Student Symposium in 2012, Engaging the Indigenous Americas, was open to all graduate students at UC Davis whose research focused on Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The goal of this symposium was to begin a dialogue about Indigenous studies amongst graduate students on our campus and to allow the interdisciplinary nature of our department to shine. Our first symposium was a total success thanks to the generous support of many campus institutions and the enthusiastic participation of UC Davis graduate students. We were so encouraged by the turnout for our first symposium that for our second annual symposium, Weaving the Roots of Knowledge, we opened the call for papers to the UC Berkeley graduate students and extended it to a two-day event. Again, the focus of this symposium was bringing together graduate student scholars whose work centers Indigenous issues but this time with an emphasis on how knowledge and methodologies are woven together in and outside of the academy. Our second symposium was another amazing success with support from both campuses, awesome participation, and great questions from the audience.
Since we have gotten such an incredible response during our first two symposium events, this year our committee decided to open the call for papers to the entire UC system, have a two-day event, and extend an invitation for participation to UC Davis undergraduates as well. We have an exciting schedule lined up and the committee has worked hard to create dynamic panels that are sure to stimulate great discussions. The topics that this symposium will cover vary widely and include Native literature, Indigenous philosophy, Federal Indian Law, strategies for decolonization, Indigenous identity, and Indigenous language revitalization. These topics will be presented as individual papers, roundtable discussions, and partnered presentations. We are also looking forward to our two vibrant keynote speakers, Victorio Shaw and Mishuana Goeman. We hope that many members of the community take advantage of the opportunity to see all the great research that is going to be presented at our unique symposium. Supporting the Native American Graduate Student Symposium is important because it provides a space that is committed to the expansion and rigorous discussion of where the Native American Studies discipline is heading and how research about Indigenous peoples should be done. Please come and enjoy our event and help us make the 3rd annual NAS graduate student symposium another awesome success!
Visit the symposium page for schedule and more information!
Native American Studies (UC Davis)
Office of the President (UC)
Dean of Humanities and Dean of Social Sciences (UC Davis)
Vice Provost Ralph Hexter (UC Davis)
Dean Gibeling, Graduate Studies (UC Davis)
Native American Faculty Staff Association (UC Davis)
Cross Cultural Center (UC Davis)
Women's Resources and Research Center (UC Davis)
Graduate Student Association (UC Davis)
Student Recruitment and Retention Center (UC Davis)
Dean of Anthropology (UC Santa Cruz)
Dean of Literature (UC Santa Cruz)
Ethnic Studies (UC Riverside)
Dean of Humanities (UCLA)