Research Colloquia

Exciting research from a kaleidoscope of perspectives and methods relating to the American West is being developed across the humanities at OU. The rich interdisciplinary work is one of the University’s strengths, bolstered by a wealth of collections and centers across campus and the press. The historiography of the American West from its origins to the late twentieth century generally proceeded from the myth-building of the American Mind School in the 1950s to the myth-busting frameworks of New Western Studies, but categorizing today’s methodological landscape is much trickier because the current conversations are much more dispersed. Many scholars focusing on cultural production, histories of dispossession, and identities in the American West are pushing new conversations in the field, whether analyzing historical or contemporary material.

Through an array of presentations from colleagues crossing the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences and the Weitzenhoffer College of the Fine Arts and disciplines from history, Native American Studies, African American Studies, and film and media studies along with art history, a deeper and broader sense of the methodological approaches and stakes of writing about the American West today will become clarified. Many of the presenters are at work on book projects or dissertations, and this forum will help to propel productivity on these manuscripts as well as encourage refinement of arguments.

This colloquium provides a forum and opportunity for diverse scholars and public intellectuals to come together from across the University of Oklahoma (OU) to share and support emerging visions in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS). With Oklahoma, specifically, the homelands of the Hasinais (Caddo Nation) and Kirikirʔi:s (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes), as the home to 39 Native Nations and this region being at the confluence of many Indigenous peoples from throughout the world, this forum will be at the center of emergence for new directions and sustained pressing issues for scholars and the communities that they are connected to. Their visions relate to themes of sovereignty, land and water, presence, and futures of Native Nations and communities throughout Native America. While the OU Department of Native American Studies serves as a hub for NAIS, this colloquium strengthens this connectivity by featuring students, faculty, and staff from various departments, programs, and interdisciplinary backgrounds who all envision Indigenizing academia and a bright future for Native Nations and peoples. Scholars and community are invited to discuss and learn about different developing projects that adhere to Indigenous protocols and amplify voices that have been historically muted. Most importantly, we dedicate this intellectual space and time to our relationality as a circle of respect and understanding. 

Colloquium Schedule

9/18 - Session 1 - Asa Samuels (NAS): TEK: Climate Change and Wildlife Conservation through an Indigenous Perspective

10/23 - Session 2 - Esther Prause (NAS):  Serializing Decoloniality: Indigenous Activist Practices in Oklahoma Post McGirt

11/20 - Session 3 - Brandi Bethke (OK Arch Survey), Sarah Trabert (Anthropology), Gary McAdams (Wichita and Affiliated Tribes): Anchoring Sovereignty in Space: Documenting Places of Wichita Community Building in the 19th and 20th Centuries

1/22 - Session 4 - Jake Skeets (English): Poetics & Resonance: Exploring the Intersections of Literary Practice and Indigenous Self-Determination

2/19 - Session 5 - Mel Fillmore (NAS): Afro-Indigeneity

3/12 - Session 6 - Farina King (NAS), Lina Ortega (Western History Collections), Bonnie Pitblado (Anthropology), Cheyenne Widdecke (Anthropology): Indigenous Truthtelling of Boarding Schools

4/23 - Session 7 - Max Yamane (Ethnomusicology): “Whazhazhe” and Killers of the Flower Moon

Building on OU community ties dating back to the 2010-2012 French Culture Workshop, this group’s main goal is to build positive visibility and intellectual community for OU scholars engaged in research and teaching about French-speaking societies across the globe. We also hope to contribute to defending the value of foreign language study and of the humanities amid recent critiques and cuts. For faculty and graduate students, the FWW increases access to up-to-date research findings from OU faculty and outside scholars, and helps connect experts in French across eras, disciplines, and regions. Presenters will find the workshop a supportive and welcoming place to receive feedback on their work, while faculty presentations model research presentations and professional expectations for graduate students.

Colloquium Schedule

Thur 09/19 @ 3:00-4:30pm Session 2 – Sarah Griswold, History, Oklahoma State “France, WWI, and Crusader Castles Restoration in the Middle East”

-- Postponed, TBA --  Session 3 – Nathan Dougherty, OU Music, “Anti-Slavery Sentiment in Marceline Desbordes-Valmore’s “L’esclave””

Fri 11/8 @ 4:30-6:00pm Session 4 – Karl Pollin-Dubois, University of Tulsa, “What can Non-Philosophy do for Cinema?”

Session 4 – Andreea Marculescu, OU MLLL, “Witchcraft and National Identity in 16th Century France”

Session 5 – Rita Keresztesi, OU English, “Tales of Migration in Film – Mati Diop”

Session 6 – Erin Duncan-O’Neill, OU Art History, “Art Against Censorship: Honoré Daumier, Comedy, and Resistance in 19th-Century France”

Session 7 – Jessica Rennie, OU English, “Nuclear Power in Chantal Spitz' Island of Shattered Dreams”

Session 8 – Closing Reception

The medieval and Renaissance period, roughly the 6th to the early 17th century, is one of the most important and dynamic periods in history. From a pretty marginal region, Western Europe grew to become a dominant player on the world stage, passing through a major crisis in the 16th century. In most cases, people working in pre-modern studies have more in common with pre-modern scholars in other disciplines than with the people in their own discipline. And interdisciplinary colloquium therefore is essential to bring work in this field forward and build intellectual community among medieval and Renaissance scholars at OU and in Oklahoma more broadly.

Colloquium Schedule

Tue 9/10 @3pm – Session 1 - Kathleen M. Crowther (HSTM): “Her hair was beautifully groomed, but her feet were covered with dust”: Geometrical Diagrams in Sacrobosco’s Sphere

Tue 10/8 @3pm – Session 2 -  Rienk Vermij (HSTM): “Natural Philosophy in the Reformation Era: Between Mosaic and Confessional Physics”

Tue 11/12 @3pm – Session 3 - Andreea Marculescu (MLLL): “Hearing Witches in the French Town of Arras (1459-1460)”

February – Session 4 - Allison Palmer (SVA): “The Wall Tomb of Guido Tarlati in Arezzo: Hagiography for the Warrior Bishop”

March – Session 5 - Joshua Frydman (MLLL): “Reclaiming the Sun: The Politics of Myth in Medieval Japan”

April – Session 6 - Peter Barker (HSTM): “The Heirs of Tycho”

This colloquium series will focus on creativity and authenticity in AI cultural production, with special attention to the implications for Native American cultural sovereignty.  While AI enables new modes of expression, it can destabilize the relationship between author and audience, raising questions about the nature and purpose of human creative expression. Our series will bring together experts from across the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields to catalyze discussion about crucial topics, such as trust, authenticity, and relationality, providing a much needed humanities perspective on the rising prominence of AI.

Colloquium Schedule

Thu 9/12 - Roundtable 1 - Intellectual and Cultural History of AI (Featuring Hunter Heyck, Suzanne Moon, Peter Soppelsa, and Rebecca Huskey)

Thu 10/3 - Roundtable 2 - Arts Practice and Technology with AI (Featuring Peter Froslie, KT Duffy, Chris Morley, and Rene Peralta)

Thu 10/31 - Roundtable 3 - Digital Humanities Tools and AI (Featuring Sam Huskey, Chris Weaver, and Andrew Fagg)

Thu 1/30 - Roundtable 4 - Aesthetic Philosophy and AI (Featuring Julia Abramson, Babak Khoshroo, and Robert Bailey)

Thu 2/27 - Roundtable 5 - Native American Arts theory and AI

Thu 3/27 - Roundtable 6 - Trust, Governance and AI (Featuring Mark Raymond and Matt Jensen)