At the 2024 Society for Classical Studies (SCS) annual meeting in Chicago, we held a panel on ‘Indigenous Perspectives: Ancient and Modern,’ with support from the Mountaintop Coalition. The panel explored the role of classical antiquity in the history of the Americas, focusing on the influence of ancient sources and ideologies on modern systems of oppression which have negatively affected Indigenous peoples. Panelists not only examined colonialist, imperialist, and racist ideologies from the ancient Mediterranean to the modern Americas, but also highlighted Indigenous perspectives in several important ways: recovering Indigenous experiences through ancient texts and material culture; acknowledging negative impacts of classical education; uplifting voices of Indigenous scholars in meaningfully contributing to DEI initiatives in the academy. Together, the papers illuminate new ways of recognizing how classical sources and ancient ideas have fueled modern attitudes towards Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
The work of planning, submitting and participating in that panel brought to our attention the lack of devoted spaces for Indigenous scholars in Classics and related fields, and the need for a network to connect scholars engaging in this kind of work. It also made clear what can happen when such spaces open up: a larger community of Indigenous scholars in Classics, upending settler colonial traditions woven into the field itself can shed new light on ancient material through Indigenous epistemologies and ways of knowing. In the hope of building upon the foundations laid by this panel, we are seeking contributions for a special issue of Res Difficiles, The Journal, entitled ‘Rez Diff.’ Our vision for this issue will be not only to highlight emerging perspectives of Indigenous scholarship, but also to demonstrate how such approaches can be applied to Classics as a discipline. In this vein, we seek to explore Res Difficiles’ commitment to expanding what academic scholarship might look like. Therefore, we invite submissions which go beyond traditional academic papers for ruminations on Indigeneity in Classics, including art, poetry, or other forms of visual and print media.
Thematically, we envision this issue of the journal to test the limits of where ‘Indigenizing’ Classics might go, welcoming broad approaches to the concept of ‘Indigeneity’ and considering ‘Classics’ as broadly defined. In the spirit of Audra Simpsons’ work on ethnographic refusal, what does it mean to be Indigenous in Classics? How does Indigeneity combine with or deny traditional methodological practices in the discipline? Or, following Brian Burkhart’s call in his work Indigenizing Philosophy through the Land: A Trickster Methodology for Decolonizing Environmental Ethics and Indigenous Futures, where and how can we bring in trickster methodologies and land based approaches to our work and the places where we work? Finally, in light of the recent push by the U.S. Department of the Interior on the impacts of Residential Schools to Indigenous lives, past and present, how has Classics been implicated in the creation of settler colonial violence in educational settings?
These represent only a few of the many possible questions that could be asked in this issue. Further topics might include: the reception of Classics in Indigenous art or culture; Indigenous readings of ancient texts; comparative approaches to the ancient world; pedagogical reflections and the building out of the traditional curriculum.
For contributions to the journal we are prioritizing submissions by people who come from an Indigenous background, or those who are similarly impacted and oppressed by settler colonialism. This is in the spirit of our mission for the journal to facilitate the continued growth of a community of Indigenous scholars in Classics–and reforming the field to include the necessary space and systems of support for this community to thrive. We hope that this community will be one that is global, representing not just those who are Indigenous to the North Americas, but also to those Indigenous groups who have faced and are presently facing persecution and genocide through the means of settler colonialism.
For consideration, please send abstracts to Tara Wells at tara.wells@duke.edu by November 15th, 2024. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ashley (aerl4@cam.ac.uk) or Tara (tara.wells@duke.edu).
Wok-hlew (with deep thanks),
Ashley Lance and Tara Wells
https://resdifficiles.com/rez-diff-indigenous-perspectives-cfp/
