Position Announcement: Assistant Professor, Indigenous Museology and Public History

The Institute of Comparative Studies in Literature, Art, and Culture (ICSLAC) and the Department of History invite applications from qualified Indigenous candidates for a preliminary (tenure-track) cross- appointment at the rank of assistant professor, beginning July 1, 2023, specializing in Indigenous practices in museology, broadly defined.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate an engagement with Indigenous cultures, histories, or art-making practices, and how these have been represented or performed in institutional and/or non-institutional spaces and sites. Relevant areas of expertise include History, Art History, Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, Museum Studies, Heritage Studies, Cultural Studies, Digital Humanities, or a related discipline. The geographical focus of specialization is Turtle Island, the lands now called Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This is an Indigenous-specific position. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit scholars are particularly welcome, but Indigenous scholars globally are eligible to apply.

To see the full position posting, please visit Carleton University’s Deputy Provost’s website at https://carleton.ca/deputyprovost/jobs/academics/.

Call for Submissions: Indigenizing Archives as Reparative Practice

Archival Research and Education Institute (AERI) 2023,

School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, June 19-23, 2023

(Full details about AERI below our call)

Panel Organizers:

Lydia Curliss (Nipmuc Nation), University of Maryland

Ia Bull (ᎦᏚᏩᎩ & Natchez), University of Maryland

Amanda Sorensen, University of Maryland

Diana Marsh, University of Maryland

Keywords: Indigenization, reparative practice, decolonizing methodologies, Tribal archives

Panel Abstract: 

Shifting practices and scholarship in the archival field is moving towards what has been termed a “reparative turn” (Sedgwick 1997), defined by the Society of American Archivists as the “remediation of practices or data that exclude, silence, harm, or mischaracterize marginalized people in the data created or used by archivists to identify or characterize archival resources (SAA Dictionary of Archives Terminology). While this work is gaining traction in “mainstream” archival spaces, in Native and Indigenous archival work, decolonizing frameworks, Indigenous data sovereignty, Tribal archives, and community archives are driving the development of specific knowledge organizations, ontologies, and platforms that reflect Indigenous knowledges and epistemologies, and which are often locally or regionally tailored (Littletree and Metoyer 2015; Christen 2020; Smith 2021). These Indigenous knowledge ontologies and descriptive practices reframe core Western archival principles. Aligned with these reparative and decolonizing approaches, there are movements toward Indigenizing theoretical frameworks. Indigenizing, as defined by the University of Canada Alberta:

…is a collaborative process of naturalizing Indigenous intent, interactions, and processes and making them evident to transform spaces, places, and hearts. Indigenization benefits not only Indigenous students but all students, teachers, staff members, and community members involved or impacted by Indigenization.

While the concept of Indigenizing has not gained as much traction in archival spaces, examples of Indigenizing work includes work that focuses on communities’ needs and priorities such as reparative descriptions, working towards archival material return, or engaging with communities to build out projects that center and benefit community needs.

This panel seeks to highlight new work and research in archival spaces seeking to Indigenize archival concepts, systems, collections, or wider practices. We are looking to highlight the work particularly of those who are engaged in Indigenizing practices, in their own institutions or partner repositories, and scholarship that engages with these ideas through examining theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological perspectives.

Abstracts should be submitted by email to Ia Bull (iabull@umd.edu) by Friday, January 27 with the following information:

* Name

* Tribal or Indigenous affiliation (if applicable)

* Institutional affiliation and title/role

* Paper title

* 250-word abstract

* Email contact information

About AERI:

The School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) at Louisiana State University (LSU) is proud to host the fifteenth annual Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI), the first to be held in-person and in-hybrid formats since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual week-long summer Archival Education and Research Institutes (AERIs) are working Institutes are designed to strengthen education and research and support academic cohort-building and mentoring. The Institutes are open to faculty and graduate students working in Archival Studies as well as to others engaged in archival education and scholarship, both nationally and internationally. Past institutes were held at UCLA in 2009, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2010, Simmons College in 2011, UCLA in 2012, University of Texas at Austin in 2013, the  University of Pittsburgh in 2014, the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2015, Kent State University in 2016, and the University of Toronto in 2017, the University of Alabama in 2018, and at the Liverpool University Centre for Archive Studies (LUCAS) in 2019. AERI 2020, 2021, and AERI 2022 have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the AERI Initiative:

The Archival Education and Research Initiative is a collaboration among the leading archival education programs in the U.S. and worldwide to train and support future archival faculty and enhance the education of archival professionals. AERI’s goal is to stimulate the growth of a new generation of academics in archival education who are versed in contemporary issues and knowledgeable of the work being conducted by colleagues. The initiative seeks to nurture and promote the state-of-the-art in scholarship in Archival Science, broadly conceived, as well as to encourage curricular and pedagogical innovation in archival education across the United States and worldwide. The project was initially developed with the support of two four-year grants (2008-2014) from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services – Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. It was directed by a consortium of eight U.S. universities with doctoral specializations in archival studies.

How much will AERI 2023 cost?
The registration rates will be finalized and provided within the acceptance notice in March. The current draft rate ranges are $550-$650 (USD) for non-students and $350-$450 (USD) for students. The rates will include housing and several meals. The final rates may be lower due to sponsorships and other outside funding.

Fellowship Announcement: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Race and Ethnicity, Brown University

Brown University invites applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate in Race and Ethnicity to be jointly shared by the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs and the Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity in America. We seek a scholar with interests in racial inequality, structural, and/or systemic racism in the post-1970s U.S. in areas such as: urban poverty, social and cultural theories of racism, gender, segregation, education, wealth, or housing.

The successful candidate will teach one course per year in Africana Studies and/or a Watson Institute related program, and be expected to actively participate in the intellectual life of CSREA (including regular participation in the CSREA research seminar), the Watson Institute and the University as a whole.

More here.

Fellowship Opportunities: Native American and Indigenous Studies, Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society

The Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia invites applications for sabbatical, postdoctoral, predoctoral, and short-term research fellowships to support research projects utilizing its collections.
The APS’s Library & Museum houses one of North America’s oldest and largest collections of archival, audio-visual, digital, and printed materials relating to the languages, cultures, and histories of Indigenous people of the continent and neighboring regions. The collections date from 1553 to 2022 and include materials relating to early colonial periods, extensive documentation of hundreds of Indigenous languages, anthropological and ethnographic fieldwork, and materials produced by past and present Indigenous individuals documenting a broad range of lived experiences.
The APS’s Library & Museum is home to three research centers: the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR), which has worked with over 80 Native American and Indigenous communities since 2014; the Center for Digital Scholarship, which interprets and expands access to APS collections through digital projects and open source data; and the David Center for the American Revolution, a partnership with the David Library of the American Revolution that formed a new research center for the American Revolution at the APS.
The Indigenous Subject Guide provides extensive information to begin exploring the archival collections at the APS relating to Indigenous peoples and languages at https://indigenousguide.amphilsoc.org
Additional searchable guides and finding aids to our collections are available online at https://www.amphilsoc.org/library/search-collections andhttp://amphilsoc.pastperfectonline.com.
See individual fellowship descriptions below for more information and instructions on how to apply. For a complete listing of all APS grant and fellowship opportunities, visit www.amphilsoc.org/grants/fellowships.

Fellowship Opportunity: Autry Museum of the American West Research Fellowships

The Autry Museum of the American West is now accepting applications for their research fellowships. The Autry offers one fellowship exclusively to UCLA graduate students, as well two others open to Ph.D. candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars from across the U.S. Research Fellows must be U.S. citizens and in-residence at the Autry during June, July, August, or September 2023.

Interested applicants should apply by the January 30, 2023 deadline.

For more information on the different fellowships available, as well as application procedures and fellowship expectations, please visit the Autry’s Fellowships page here.

Call for Applications: African Museology International Exchange with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art

As the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex with a mission to increase and diffuse knowledge, the Smithsonian Institution (SI), based in Washington, DC (USA), is constantly examining how to share information and reach audiences in more accessible ways – and how to respond to our changing world. Building capacity and capability – of our own staff and of cultural and science sector colleagues globally – is central to how we operate and part of our ethos to advance global practice. In that vein, SI, with leadership from the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), is examining many professional processes – including collections management and research – to better understand the role of museums in a fast-changing world. As an African art museum, with a large collection of historical and contemporary work from throughout the African continent, NMAfA is seeking to redress the historical reliance on Western knowledge frameworks and academic expertise to conserve, document, frame, and interpret our collection, at the near exclusion of the expertise of those from whom and where the collection originates (i.e., Africa and the African diaspora).

More here.

Position Announcement: Curator of Archaeological Collections at Indiana University

The IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is hiring a curator of archaeological collections.  To apply, visit jobs.iu.edu and search for Job ID 303420

The IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is Indiana University’s newest museum and is preparing to open to the public in the fall of 2023. IUMAA combines the strengths and rich collections of the former Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology and Mathers Museum of World Cultures into one museum with more than 5 million artifacts that span a broad range of human experience from Indiana’s first peoples to contemporary communities from around the world.

Through cutting-edge technology and exhibition design, as well as special building features, the new museum will provide visitors a new way of seeing its collections, exhibits, and programs from the “inside-out.” Access to behind-the-scenes spaces of the museum will enable visitors to experience more of the museum collections, research, and teaching mission.

The museum is dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace and values teamwork, communication, and fun. Preparing for opening day will entail creativity and a commitment to hard work.

Fellowship Announcement: SMSC Native American Fellow, Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art welcomes applications for the 2022 – 2023 Native American Fellowship co-hosted by Mia’s Curatorial Division and Mia’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Division. The fellow will gain valuable professional experience working with Native American art curation at a large art museum. The Native American Fellowship provides an opportunity for Native Americans to work with the Chair of Global Contemporary Art, and other museum professionals to enhance skills and experience through research, care, curation, partnerships, and interpretation of Native American art, as well as learn about all aspects of museum work by interacting with staff from Advancement, Audience, Curatorial, Registration, and Facilities.  The Mia Native American Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC).

Position Announcement: Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Museum Studies, University of Toronto

The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto invites applications for one (1) full-time teaching stream faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the area of museum studies. The appointment is expected to begin July 1, 2023.

The Faculty of Information (iSchool) at the University of Toronto is a research-led Faculty, committed to educating the next generation of information and museum professionals and academic leaders, who join us in transforming society through collaboration, innovation, and knowledge creation.  We are guided by core values that include engagement with cultural, social, political, and ethical issues in information and museums to benefit society and transparency, accountability, and public responsibility. With an outstanding complement of award-winning faculty members, our key strengths are the quality of our interdisciplinary research, the abilities of our graduate students, close ties across the university, and a committed alumni community. Our strategic priorities are excellence through interdisciplinarity, impact through partnerships, and equity through fostering inclusive environments. The Faculty of Information is especially proud of the calibre, excellence, academic engagement, and diversity of the students it recruits, admits, and graduates.

More here.