Science and Native American Communities
Subtitle: Legacies of Pain, Visions of Promise
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: September 1, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 173
ISBN-13: 9780803225954
Subjects: Impact of science & technology on society; Indigenous peoples; Social & cultural anthropology; Sociology Of Science; Indians of North America; Education Of Native American Students; Social Science; Ethnic Issues; Sociology; North America; USA; Science; Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies; History; Social Science / Native American Studies; United States; Economic conditions; Education (Higher); Social aspects
Description: Publisher description: Education among American Indians has lagged behind that of almost all other groups in both the United States and Canada, and it generally has not offered what Indian communities need. It is this disturbing state of affairs -- along with the intractable realities, unexamined assumptions, and cultural conflicts and misunderstandings behind it -- that Science and Native American Communities confronts. Representing an unprecedented gathering of Native American professionals working in the sciences and advanced technology, the book combines theory and practice, firsthand experience and strategic thinking, in a provocative exploration of the uneasy meeting ground between science and Native American communities. In highly personal, deeply informed, and frequently moving essays, the authors wrestle with a legacy of mistrust and violence. They ask: Is a common ground between science and Native America possible? The problems and prospects that emerge from such a meeting, and that these essays address, include the impact of science and technology on Native lands and environment; economic and technological opportunities and challenges for reservation communities; and the differences and similarities between Native and scientific thought and practice. The authors not only showcase different reactions to the consequences of science, but also energetically propose strategies for renegotiating Native communities' relationships with science, seizing control of their destinies, and moving forward in the twenty-first century.