–American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609
United StatesWhat relationships are necessary to make Indigenous books? What relations are held in paper, bindings, and ink? And what relations are generated by the circulation and use of Indigenous print?
This seminar will examine Indigenous cultures of print between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Our focus on relations extends from collaborations with publishers, patrons, and printers to considering plants, trees, animals, and rags in paper and bindings―as well as the complex connections books have to the archives where they are held. Specific topics will be driven by participants’ interests but may include periodical networks, relations between Black and Indigenous print cultures, environmental histories of the book, Indigenous language revitalization, Tribal nations’ acts of archival creation and activism, and more.
Throughout the seminar, participants will examine both conceptual and methodological questions using AAS’s vast holdings of Indigenous printed materials. Using readings drawn from Indigenous studies and history of the book scholarship, we will consider how this scholarship might be put in conversation with Indigenous peoples’ use of print and the book. Building on influential research that has recovered histories of Indigenous writing and challenged the oral-literacy binary, we will ask how Indigenous books manifest, contest, and make relations with living beings, with other books, and with communities. Participants will be encouraged to think about how to take insights from the seminar into their own classrooms, libraries, and communities, as well as to their networks for mentoring and collegial support. Early career scholars, library and museum professionals, and Tribal staff are especially encouraged to apply.
Guest speakers for the seminar include Ellen Cushman (Northeastern University), David Aiona Chang (University of Minnesota Twin Cities), and Kimberly Toney (Brown University).
“Paper Relations” coincides with the James Russell Wiggins Lecture in the History of the Book in American Culture, which will be given by Phillip Round (University of Iowa) on June 24, 2026.
About
Participation is intended for graduate students, college and university faculty, librarians, curators, and museum professionals.
Application
The deadline for applications is April 3, 2026.
Accessibility
PHBAC is committed to creating an environment that welcomes all people and meets their access needs. The AAS library and classroom facilities are wheelchair accessible. Other accommodations may be available upon advance request. Participants are encouraged to indicate any accessibility needs in their applications.
Tuition
Tuition for the five-day seminar is $1,000. This includes meals throughout the week and a guided field trip to the Hassanamesit Woods in Grafton, Massachusetts.
Two tuition scholarships to attend the seminar are generously funded by the Bibliographical Society of America. Additional scholarships are available for students and scholars specializing in Indigenous studies, including community members or staff affiliated with Tribal organizations. See the application form for more information about scholarships to attend the seminar.
Housing
The cost of housing is not included in the tuition fee. Participants will have the option of staying in dormitory housing on the Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus (within easy walking distance of AAS) for approximately $80.00 per night.
