tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post301735166714516717..comments2024-03-01T11:17:49.152-07:00Comments on Religion in American History: Doctrine of Christian DiscoveryPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-50179415904641901222011-03-13T22:43:16.318-06:002011-03-13T22:43:16.318-06:00Quite frankly every human is capable of philosophi...Quite frankly every human is capable of philosophical insights that transcend politics and society's wheels...we should base all discussions on the fact that this is an earth village and we are educating, our collective histories, a point of view or an ideology not discussing who is right and wrong...we already know this based on statistical data..victims and the dead show usAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-73027713628680655932009-11-13T17:19:34.549-07:002009-11-13T17:19:34.549-07:00I actually missed the panel on the Doctrine of Dis...I actually missed the panel on the Doctrine of Discovery. I went out the night before with a bunch of Canadians and decided to sleep in that day! There was a lot of indigenous stuff going on, I assumed that since it was in Canada, and they wanted to highlight that in sessions and after-hours events, they turned to what would be most interesting to non-Canadians... Indians. I also agree with the blogger that Indian issues are more front and center in Canada, I think it has to do with their different history with African-Americans, while in the U.S. they became the most focused on minority and Indians were pushed into the realm of<br />invisibility.<br /><br />I don't know who the blogger is, so I don't know if he went to any of the same panels I went to (maybe he should have attended more of the conference rather than taking in the "pseudo-French culture", I also took in the "Quebecois" culture but managed to spend a lot of time at the conference too!). But, the respondent on my panel was Michael Doxtator, a Canadian Mohawk scholar of indigenous studies who writes about traditional knowledge and decolonization. He was fantastic, intelligent, fiery, I imagine everything the blogger was looking for.<br /><br />I disagree with the whole thing about meshing scholastic approaches, or worlds. The indigenous studies program at my university is known for being very, well, militant, like what I assume the blogger was calling for. There is important and good work over there, but, it is not religious studies. It feels like the blogger is romanticizing this image of the militant Indian, the warrior. As evidenced by the fact that his two Navajo students represent something by being in class, but are silent in his description of them. I have received positive feedback from indigenous students in my courses, and still, or perhaps because, of my "even handed approach." I think it is possible to present a very ugly history, without watering it down, and without turning to activism, and yet keep the conversation at an analytical level. I can take Native concerns seriously and remain in the scholastic "first world" (although really I am trying to get rid of these distinctions - they too easily reinforce stereotyped images of Indians and keep them at arms length from the conversation).<br /><br />I could keep going on, but I'll stop there. Thank you for the post.dswnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-6984819724477376912009-11-13T09:10:16.257-07:002009-11-13T09:10:16.257-07:00Excuse me, fields far from religion. Perhaps I am...Excuse me, fields far from religion. Perhaps I am overly focused on my need to get lunch!Samiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-19489008418969338032009-11-13T09:08:43.283-07:002009-11-13T09:08:43.283-07:00Lin, it seems to me that educating undergrads, and...Lin, it seems to me that educating undergrads, and in some ways, specifically undergrads who will go on to work in feeds far from religion, American history, Native American stuff is the BEST way to combat the stereotyped images of Native Americans. They could easily ignore most political movements, but if you can change the way they think without freaking them out, you are doing a ton to erode at acceptance of stereotypes. Which makes your work very political, and also, perhaps, more likely to create social change than more explicitly activist work. (Or at least to create a different kind of change.)Samiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-64838755757243912172009-11-13T06:23:43.825-07:002009-11-13T06:23:43.825-07:00Linford: Thanks for the summary. Nice to read this...Linford: Thanks for the summary. Nice to read this since I was only at the conference for a short period. I had a similar kind of "outsider" feeling, in a good way. <br /><br />Montreal. What an amazing city!Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-58322543058339122452009-11-12T20:22:04.971-07:002009-11-12T20:22:04.971-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Linford Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08464120981613918359noreply@blogger.com