Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution
Dynamics of Indigenous Collaboration in Alaska
In response to the indigenous critique of social science, anthropologists have sought new ways to work collaboratively with indigenous communities on repatriation, land claims, tribal recognition, museum exhibitions, and language preservation. Cultural identity – its exploration, self-expression, or legal legitimation – is a common focus of these collaborative efforts. Yet internal (emic) views of identity are not always congruent with external views, which in anthropology have been divided between ‘essentialist’ and ‘constructivist’ positions, the latter including the notion of ‘invented tradition’. The paper considers anthropological practice and Alaska Native identities in the context of this theoretical debate, with a specific focus on the Alutiiq region.
Outcomes: This paper reviews a theoretical debate that is fundamentally important to the project of representing identity and interpreting cultural change.