Indigeneity: A RaceB4Race Symposium

Indigeneity: A RaceB4Race Symposium

Arizona State University | February 7-8, 2025

In person and livestreamed

The term 'indigeneity' must be considered as capaciously as possible in order to recognize its shifting valences of meaning across historical periods and geographies. The relationship between the Indigenous peoples and their land has always been a fundamental the notion of indigeneity. The term as it is commonly used today is largely in reference to native populations of certain lands who have become minorities in their own countries due to the incursion of settler colonialism. However, if we are to think expansively about indigeneity in our present moment, it is important for us to understand the native or aboriginal populations in the premodern world. This symposium seeks to expand and develop our understanding of indigeneity, from its place in the premodern world to its role in the present.  

This RaceB4Race symposium is hosted by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and its programming is envisioned by Scott Manning Stevens and the RaceB4Race Executive Board. 

The artwork featured on the program cover and marketing materials for this symposium is "The Vanishing American" by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. The work was provided Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York.

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About RaceB4Race

RaceB4Race is an ongoing conference series and professional network community by and for scholars of color working on issues of race in premodern literature, history, and culture. RaceB4Race centers the expertise, perspectives, and sociopolitical interests of BIPOC scholars, whose work seeks to expand critical race theory. Bridging many traditional disciplinary divides, RaceB4Race not only creates innovative scholarly dialogues, but also fosters social change within premodern studies as a whole. RaceB4Race is brought to life by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in partnership with The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Division of Humanities and the Hitz Foundation.

Keynote

An Evening with Tommy Orange | February 8, 2025 | 6:00 PM (MST) | Carson Ballroom, Old Main

Speakers

Tarren Andrews (Yale University)
Di Hu (James Madison University)
Heather M. Kopelson (University of Alabama)
Ashley Lance (University of Cambridge)
Malinda Maynor Lowery (Emory University)
Melanie Newton (University of Toronto)
Jamie Paris (University of Manitoba)
Joseph Mizhakiiyaasige Zordan (Harvard University)
Mónica Domínguez Torres (University of Delaware)
Dominique E. Polanco (Virginia Tech)

Download the digital program

Livestream information

This event will be livestreamed by ASU Live. The recording will be available to watch on the ACMRS YouTube channel afterwards.

Travel awards

ACMRS, in collaboration with the Folger Institute, is thrilled to offer travel awards for early career scholars to attend RaceB4Race symposia. Travel award applications for Indigeneity: A RaceB4Race Symposium are due December 1, 2024. 

Apply now

Getting to Tempe

For information regarding lodging near the ASU Tempe Campus, please visit the Travel Information for ASU visitors page.

This event will take place in Carson Ballroom in Old Main. The closest parking garage to the venue is the Fulton Center parking structure. Learn more about parking rates here.