A Shared History Pedagogy: Undergraduate Researchers and Indigenous Communities

This presentation will assess the application of Eva Marie Garroute’s practice of “Radical Indigenism” to the pedagogy of an undergraduate history research colloquium.  Professor Hatfield will discuss the positioning of students for “entering tribal [philosophies and] relations; . . . maintaining respect for community values in the search for knowledge; . . . [and] actual exchanges between Indian people and the academy.” (Real Indians) The presentation will share a qualitative evaluation of the students’ metacognitive performance in this learning environment, focusing on their critical self-reflection as thinkers, researchers, writers, and historians engaged in dialogue and research with tribal elders, spiritual leaders, history keepers, and community activists, as well as native and non-native visiting scholars.  Professor Hatfield will also share select examples of students’ research projects, highlighting both the process and findings of their research, and their interrogation of questions concerning “academic colonialism,” “activist scholarship,” and indigenous ways of knowing.