My work is in the area of engaged (public) anthropology, particularly in community-university partnerships and utilizing community-based research methods to conduct research in full partnership with indigenous and local communities. I find value in working across disciplinary boundaries to incorporate aspects of cultural anthropology, archaeology, heritage studies, and Native American and Indigenous studies.
I am involved in research partnerships with Native American communities, and include community members in all aspects of the research process, from development of research designs to grant writing, ethics and IRB review, fieldwork, analysis and mobilization of results. Research is at its best when everyday people are engaged in the work of studying, protecting and teaching about their own cultural heritage. The projects I’m involved with originate locally from within communities; they build capacity, and provide substantive benefits that contribute to community well-being.
I teach graduate and undergraduate courses that provide students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience partnering with communities to identify research needs and the core tribal and community values that should be utilized as guiding principles to produce rigorous research on projects.