Self-Evident Truths: Indigenizing the US SurveyMaster ClassIn-Person
Monday, Dec 09, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
The New-York Historical Society holds an extensive collection of historical artifacts, works of American art, and other materials documenting the history of New York and the United States.
Contemporary scholarship into Indigenous cultures, as well as activism, has led to a reevaluation of American history. Today, it is widely accepted that the Indigenous experience is complementary to, but different from American history, and deserves an essential place in any American studies curricula. Using an interdisciplinary approach and chronological structure, this master class will highlight notable Indigenous people who played important roles in our national history, and we’ll discuss thematic questions, such as the erasure and appropriation of Indigenous culture. The class will include a curated visit to the New-York Historical Society’s galleries, where work by contemporary Indigenous artists, including some from New York, will add depth to our discussion.
US HISTORY, SOCIAL STUDIES, GOVERNMENT, ART HISTORY
Christian Crouch
Christian Ayne Crouch is the dean of graduate studies, professor of historical studies and American and Indigenous studies, and director of the Center for Indigenous Studies at Bard College. She is the author of the award-winning Nobility Lost: French and Canadian Martial Cultures, Indians, and the End of New France, and has published articles on topics in Atlantic military and material culture, French empire, and Indigenous and African diasporic history in journals such as Early American Studies, William and Mary Quarterly, and Panorama. She also works as a curatorial advisor in contemporary Indigenous arts and has written art criticism, including essays in Beyond the Horizon and Making American Artists. Her current book project, Queen Victoria's Captives: A Story of Ambition, Empire, and a Stolen Ethiopian Prince, explores the human and material consequences of the 1868 Maqdala Campaign. She holds a PhD from New York University and an AB with honors from Princeton University, and is an elected fellow of the American Antiquarian Society.