Andrea Smith, a professor at the University of California at Riverside who has been a major figure in Native American studies, has responded to charges that she has falsely told people that she is a member of the Cherokee nation. As the accusations (some of which are many years old) have received new attention in recent weeks, Smith has said nothing. But on Thursday she published a blog post in which she said that she was not "enrolled" on the official list of Cherokee nation members, but she insisted that she has been correct in calling herself Cherokee. Many have said that Smith has never demonstrated Cherokee roots and that she should have stopped years ago telling people she was Native American...
Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/07/13/professor-answers-charges-faking-cherokee-status Earlier stories at https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/07/08/indigenous-female-scholars-issue-open-letter and https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/07/06/scholar-who-has-made-name-cherokee-accused-not-having-native-american-roots
This case raises interesting issues. Does having a particular identity give you a leg up as an expert in studying that group? Do you have to have papers to prove your identity?
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