Andrea Smith (academic)

Andrea Lee Smith is a intellectual, feminist, and anti-violence activist. Smith's work focuses on issues of violence against women of color and their communities, specifically Native American women. A co-founder of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, the Boarding School Healing Project, and the Chicago chapter of Women of All Red Nations, Smith centers the experiences of women of color in both her activism and her scholarship. Formerly an assistant professor of American Culture and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Smith is currently an associate professor in the Department of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside.

Contents

Background

Smith was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in Southern California.[1] Smith earned her bachelor's degree at Harvard University in Comparative Study of Religion, and her Masters of Divinity at the Union Theological Seminary in 1997.[2] In 2002, she received her Ph.D. in History of Consciousness from UC Santa Cruz.[3]

Activism

Smith has long been active in anti-violence activism, working as a rape crisis counselor and starting the Chicago chapter of Women of All Red Nations.[4] Along with Nadine Naber, Smith cofounded INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence in 2000, and she plays a prominent role in its National Planning Committee.[5][6] INCITE! is a national grassroots organization that engages in direct action and critical dialogue to end violence against women of color and their communities.[7] Smith was also a founding member of the Boarding School Healing Project (BSHP).[8] According to its website, the BSHP "seeks to document Native boarding school abuses so that Native communities can begin healing from boarding school abuses and demand justice."[9] Smith has worked with Amnesty International as a Bunche Fellow, coordinating the research project on sexual violence and American Indian women,[10] and she represented the Indigenous Women's Network and the American Indian Law Alliance at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in 1991.[1] In 2005, Smith was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize "as a woman who works daily for peace" in recognition of her research and work regarding violence against women of color in the US.[11]

Awards

Nominations

Tenure controversy

On February 22, 2008, Smith received a negative tenure recommendation from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan.[14] This decision has attracted "an unusual degree of attention from scholars, both at Ann Arbor and nationally"[15] and prompted some observers to conclude "the University's tenure evaluation process discriminates against women of color and interdisciplinary professors."[16]

A statement issued by an anonymous group of students and faculty from the University of Michigan protesting the decision immediately began circulating via email and among feminist blogs.[14][17] The statement refers to Smith as "one of the greatest indigenous feminist intellectuals of our time" and highlights Smith's relevance as both a scholar and social justice advocate, noting that as "a result of her work, scholars, social service providers, and community-based organizations throughout the United States have shifted from state-focused efforts to more systemic approaches for addressing violence against women." [14] A Facebook group in support of Smith's tenure bid[18] and online petition to University of Michigan provost Teresa Sullivan soon followed.

Selected publications

Smith is the author of the following books:

Smith edited and/or co-edited the following anthologies:

References

  1. ^ a b "Global Feminisms Project:Project Site: United States: Interviewees". http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/en/us_e.html. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  2. ^ The Bible and the American Myth: A Symposium on the Bible and Constructions of Meaning Studies in American Biblical Hermeneutics (16)
  3. ^ "American Culture (University of Michigan)". http://141.211.177.75/ac/ac_detail/0,2416,13694_people_6743,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-15. 
  4. ^ "Interview with Maria Cotera". University of Michigan. 2003-06-24. http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/en/transcripts/us/Smith_U_E_102806.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-24. (PDF)
  5. ^ "National Planning Committee". INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. Archived from the original on 2007-08-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070804045544/http://www.incite-national.org/about/committee.html. Retrieved 2007-09-15. 
  6. ^ "INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence: An Interview with co-founders Nadine Naber and Andrea Smith". Critical Moment. http://criticalmoment.org/issue22/sussman. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
  7. ^ "Andrea Smith". South End Press. http://www.southendpress.org/authors/258. Retrieved 2007-09-17. 
  8. ^ Marty Logan (2004-05-24). "Native Americans to demand compensation". Final Call News. http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_1431.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-18. 
  9. ^ "Boarding School Healing Project". Boarding School Healing Project. http://www.boardingschoolhealingproject.org/. Retrieved 2007-11-18. 
  10. ^ "Annual General Meeting 2003". Amnesty International USA. http://www.amnestyusa.org/events/agm/agm2003/diversity.html. Retrieved 2007-11-18. 
  11. ^ a b Catherine O'Donnell (2005-09-08). "U-M professor among those nominated for Nobel". The Ann Arbor News. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/margins-to-centre/2005-September/000642.html. Retrieved 2008-03-21. 
  12. ^ "2005 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award Winners". Gustavus Myers Center. http://www.myerscenter.org/pages/05winners.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-18. 
  13. ^ "The Phenomenal Woman Awards 2010". California State University, Northridge. http://www.csun.edu/ws/PW/phenomenalwoman2010.html. Retrieved 2010-07-25. 
  14. ^ a b c "Statement of University of Michigan Students and Faculty in Support of Andrea Smith's Tenure Case". 2008-02-27. http://voicingindigeneity.blogspot.com/2008/02/tenure-for-andrea-smith.html. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
  15. ^ Scott Jaschik (2008-03-10). "Concern Over Michigan Tenure Case". Inside Higher Ed. http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/03/10/smith. Retrieved 2008-03-16. 
  16. ^ Elizabeth Lai (2008-03-06). "More than 30 faculty, students sent letter to LSA dean alleging pattern of discrimination". The Michigan Daily. http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2008/03/06/Academics/More-Than.30.Faculty.Students.Sent.Letter.To.Lsa.Dean.Alleging.Pattern.Of.Discri-3255626.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
  17. ^ Robin Wilson (2008-02-29). "Protests Heat Up at Michigan Over Tenure Case of Expert in Native American Studies". The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/news/article/4067/protests-heat-up-at-michigan-over-tenure-case-of-expert-in-native-american-studies. Retrieved 2008-03-16. 
  18. ^ "Support Tenure for Andrea Smith!". http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8352609419. Retrieved 2008-03-16. 

External links