The Red River Valley Writing Project and North Dakota Humanities Council will sponsor a series of events exploring the topic of settler colonialism in North Dakota. A panel presentation, "Understanding Settler Colonialism in North Dakota," is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. in the NDSU Memorial Union Mandan Room.
The events feature Michael Yellow Bird, NDSU professor of sociology and director of indigenous tribal studies; visiting author Karen V. Hansen; and Louie Garcia, who will discuss how settler colonialism restructures society and its impact on both Native and non-Native North Dakotans. Bruce Maylath, NDSU professor of English, will moderate the presentation.
Hansen is a professor of sociology and women's, gender and sexuality studies at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts. She is the author of "Encounter on the Great Plains: Scandinavian Settlers and the Dispossession of Dakota Indians."
Garcia is a Spirit Lake historian and author of "Grass Dance of the Spirit Lake Dakota." He is a finish carpentry instructor at Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Ft. Totten, North Dakota.
Other scheduled events related to the workshop include:
• Book discussion, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2 p.m., Moorhead Public Library
• Writing workshop, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2-4 p.m., Memorial Union Mandan Room
• Book discussion, Monday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m., Breckinridge, Minnesota, Public Library
• Book discussion, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6:45 p.m., Sons of Norway, Fargo
The Red River Valley Writing Project is hosted at NDSU. It is a local site of National Writing Project, an organization focused on improving writing instruction for students from kindergarten through college.
The NDSU Departments of English, Sociology and History also supported the event.
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