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Betwixt the Sovereigns

A Forgotten Relevance of Tribal Nationhood to Academia

Abstract: Many people may think the term “sovereign” is an antiquated term that only matters outside of the U.S. or in a hit TV show or history book, but you may not realize that there is an everyday and local relevance to sovereignty. The sovereignty of Indigenous Nations far predates the U.S., and it’s only because of the dispossession of Indigenous Land that the U.S. has been able to prosper. Ray Allen, a former Tribal Council member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, brings Tribal Sovereignty to the forefront of his writings and research. Allen will touch on the histories of the Land and provide an overview of how academic institutions have and continue to harm and take from the work of Indigenous peoples. He will offer recommendations to put the brakes on these ongoing colonial/extractive practices that operate in Academic teaching and research institutions, and he will offer examples from his own research and that of other Indigenous thinkers that supports the regeneration of Indigenous knowledge production. Simultaneously, Allen will discuss ways for individuals and departments to support the work, education, and research of Indigenous citizens and their respective Nations.

 

Bio: Ray Allen is a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology at Trout Lake Research Station located in what is currently called northern Wisconsin. Ray is an enrolled citizen of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and in Fall 2024 he finished up his elected term as a Tribal Council member for the Tribe. He received his A.B. in Chemistry-Biology at Ripon College with a minor in Latin, and Ph.D. in Biology with a minor in Science & Society at Duke University in 2021. Ray has interests in the areas of biology, Art & Science, Indigenous Studies, and anti- and decolonial research practices.

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Equity and diversity

When

  • 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4

Where

Student Union Theatre, 120 Student Union

UWL campus map for building location and nearby parking lots.

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Student Union

Contact

For questions about this event or to request disability accommodations , contact Whitney George at 608.785.5107 or wgeorge@uwlax.edu.

Parking

Payment may be required. No permit?
Use Passport Parking.

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