About

Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Princeton (NAISIP)

Princeton’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative fosters a cross-disciplinary dialogue among faculty, students, staff, and community members whose research and teaching interests focus on Indigenous peoples. Through historical as well as contemporary perspectives, we seek to increase awareness and understanding of the cultural traditions and experiences of Indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere and globally. We support ethical engagement with Indigenous people, communities, and nations. By attending to the intersecting domains of knowledge and power, we aim to transform Indigenous-settler relationships in our research, classrooms, and practices.  

NAISIP faculty or research affiliates are housed in the departments of anthropology, art and archeology, comparative literature, English, history, music, and Spanish and Portuguese as well as the programs in American studies, Canadian studies, gender and sexuality studies, and Latin American studies, the University art museum and library, the Humanities Council, and the High Meadows Environmental Institute. Courses offerings include “Olmec Art,” “Introduction to Indigenous Literatures,” and courses in the colonization of Latin America, environmental sovereignties, and Indigenous linguistic loss and revitalization. Collectively, faculty and student research spans six continents, and countries including the United States, India, Mexico, Canada, Bolivia, Brazil, Japan, and Mozambique. Current students are investigating industrial contamination in the Choctaw Nation, Maori fisheries in New Zealand, Udege communities and environmental governance in the Russian Far East, and Peruvians in New Jersey.

Site Credits

  • Jessica Lambert (Class of 2022, Choctaw Nation)
  • Isabel Lockhart (Department of English)
  • Sarah Malone (Department of English)
  • Sarah Rivett (Professor of English and American Studies)
  • Keely Toledo (Class of 2022, Navajo Nation)

Thanks to associated faculty and students, and the student and alumni community. Developed with the support of the Program in American Studies.

Contact

Faculty, undergraduates and graduate students from any department working on or interested in Indigenous studies are welcome to be affiliated with NAISIP and have their work featured on the Indigenous studies website. Email NAISIP for more information.

Join our mailing list for news and event announcements related to Indigenous studies at Princeton.