March 30, 2006
Peña to speak on identity, social justice in annual Kelly lecture
UW Anthropology Professor Devon Peña will give the Samuel E. Kelly Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the Ethnic Cultural Theatre. His topic will be Place, Identity and Social Justice in the City: The Story of an Indigenous Diaspora.
“People of indigenous heritage from Mexico living in the United States — Huichol, Chontal, Tojolobal, Mixtec, Zapotec and many others — are remaking the face of major urban centers like Los Angeles, home to more than 200,000 Zapotec Indians,” Peña said. “I’ll examine how a South Central Los Angeles community established one of the largest urban farms in the nation.”
In the process, Peña said, he will address several questions:
- How are indigenous people remaking place in the U.S.?
- What knowledge and values do they bring?
- What is their role in the environmental justice movement?
- What contributions are they making to create a more just and sustainable future in our nation’s cities?
With more than 30 years of research and teaching experience in the field of environmental anthropology, Peña’s current research focuses on indigenous land use and agricultural practices, sense of place, and traditional resource rights; environmental justice movements in the American Southwest; and critical studies of commercial agricultural biotechnology.
He is co-editor of a new book series from the University of Washington Press titled, Culture, Place, and Nature: Studies in Anthropology and Environment. An Acequia farmer and rancher in his spare time, Peña manages a 200-acre family farm in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.
The lecture is named in honor of Samuel E. Kelly, first vice president (1970) of the UW Office of Minority Affairs, and showcases nationally recognized faculty research focusing on diversity and social justice.
The lecture is free but space is limited. Please register in advance at uweop@u.washington.edu or 206-616-3085.
