Brown University seeks a scholar to join the Department of American Studies, in conjunction with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative (NAISI) and Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC), for a one-year appointment as a Mellon Sawyer Seminar Postdoctoral Research Associate in Global Indigenous Studies. This position is to be held jointly at the Department of American Studies and PSTC, effective July 1, 2024 (through June 30, 2025), also contributing to NAISI.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will have training in Native American and/or Indigenous Studies and will teach one course in their area of expertise (in either the fall or spring semester), contributing to the Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies undergraduate concentration at Brown.

Specific areas of expertise and geographic focus are open, and internationally-focused scholars are encouraged to apply.

“Global Indigenous Studies in Action,” a Mellon Sawyer Seminar, seeks to examine and advance new directions in Global Indigenous Studies by centering research and community engaged approaches from the Americas and Oceania. Placing these two regions in conversation, this seminar aims to cultivate a unique forum for artists, scholars, scientists, and community leaders to examine how Indigenous knowledges in these regions as well as land, water, and more-than-human kinship relations are embodied. At the same time, this seminar will offer a space for participants to explore ways that geographic contexts, disciplinary vocabularies, research methodologies, and community histories and worldviews might be aligned as part of a collective effort to develop trans-Indigenous community dialogues that will extend beyond the parameters of the seminar experience.

The American Studies Department at Brown was established in 1945, initially as the Department of American Civilization, and is currently home to two undergraduate concentrations (majors)—one in American Studies and one in Ethnic Studies—as well as a doctoral program in American Studies. The department has often been recognized for employing interdisciplinary approaches to examining Indigeneity, race, and ethnicity locally, nationally/transnationally, and globally often with a public-facing, community engaged component. Brown’s Population Studies and Training Center builds scientific understanding of local, national, and global population challenges and their implications for health and well-being. PSTC focuses on demographic research in six main areas: children, families, and health; social inequalities; population, development, and environment; migration and urbanization; social foundations of health disparities; and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. The Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown “is a cross-disciplinary initiative focused on teaching, research and engagement to increase understanding of the cultural traditions, histories, political experiences and contemporary experiences and knowledges of Native American and Indigenous peoples.” NAISI offers an undergraduate concentration (major) in Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies as well as hosts programming, and community building events throughout the academic year.