The History Department is pleased to welcome an exceptional Native American scholar and teacher—Dr. Kiara M. Vigil from Amherst College. Professor Vigil visits us Thursday, March 23 to share her latest work, "Natives in Transit: Indian Entertainment, Urban Life, and Activism.” Her talk will be at 4:15PM, in Hahn 108.
Kiara M. Vigil is an assistant professor of American Studies at Amherst College and a true interdisciplinary scholar. Her current research explores how popular representations of the West and Native Americans shifted over time and how Indian people themselves played a role in these shifts. Through the stories of Native actors working in Hollywood, Vigil places these cultural representations alongside the labor and political histories supporting Native participation as both workers and activists.
Professor Vigil earned a B.A. in History from Tufts University, a M.A. in Cultural Studies from Dartmouth College, a M.A. in Teaching of Social Studies from Teacher’s College (Columbia University), and a Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan. She even worked as a high school history teacher in New York City before pursuing her academic career.
Professor Vigil's visit is the second to last lecture of our spring 2017 series "Indigenous Americans: New Perspectives on the Past." It will be a great opportunity for us come together as a community while also learning about a topic that is largely absent from the curricula of The Claremont Colleges.
We hope to see you there!