Andrea Smith (academic)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, California
and grew up in Southern California. 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. In 2002, she received her Ph.D. in History of Consciousness
from UC Santa Cruz.
in 2000, and she plays a prominent role in its National Planning Committee. INCITE! is a national grassroots organization that engages in direct action and critical dialogue to end violence against women of color and their communities. Smith was also a founding member of the Boarding School Healing Project (BSHP). 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." Smith has worked with Amnesty International
as a Bunche Fellow, coordinating the research project on sexual violence and American Indian women, and she represented the Indigenous Women's Network and the American Indian Law Alliance at the United Nations
World Conference Against Racism in 1991. 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.
at the University of Michigan. This decision has attracted "an unusual degree of attention from scholars, both at Ann Arbor and nationally" and prompted some observers to conclude "the University's tenure evaluation process discriminates against women of color and interdisciplinary professors."
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 blog
s. 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." A Facebook
group in support of Smith's tenure bid and online petition to University of Michigan provost
Teresa Sullivan soon followed.
Smith edited and/or co-edited the following anthologies:
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
, feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, and anti-violence activist. Smith's work focuses on issues of violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
of color
Person of color
Person of color is a term used, primarily in the United States, to describe all people who are not white. The term is meant to be inclusive among non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism...
and their communities, specifically Native American women. A co-founder of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a United States-based national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and their communities...
, the Boarding School Healing Project, and the Chicago chapter of Women of All Red Nations
Women of All Red Nations
Women of All Red Nations was a Native American women's organization. It was established in 1974 by Lorelei DeCora Means, Madonna Thunderhawk, Phyllis Young, Janet McCloud, and others. WARN included more than 300 women from 30 different tribal communities...
, Smith centers the experiences of women of color in both her activism and her scholarship. Formerly an assistant professor of American Culture
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
and Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Smith is currently an associate professor in the Department of Media
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
and Cultural Studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
.
Background
Smith was born in San FranciscoSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and grew up in Southern California. Smith earned her bachelor's degree at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Comparative Study of Religion, and her Masters of Divinity at the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in 1997. In 2002, she received her Ph.D. in History of Consciousness
History of Consciousness
The History of Consciousness program is an interdisciplinary graduate program in the humanities with links to the sciences, social sciences, and arts at the University of California at Santa Cruz....
from UC Santa Cruz.
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. Along with Nadine Naber, Smith cofounded INCITE! Women of Color Against ViolenceINCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a United States-based national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and their communities...
in 2000, and she plays a prominent role in its National Planning Committee. INCITE! is a national grassroots organization that engages in direct action and critical dialogue to end violence against women of color and their communities. Smith was also a founding member of the Boarding School Healing Project (BSHP). 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." Smith has worked with Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
as a Bunche Fellow, coordinating the research project on sexual violence and American Indian women, and she represented the Indigenous Women's Network and the American Indian Law Alliance at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
World Conference Against Racism in 1991. In 2005, Smith was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
"as a woman who works daily for peace" in recognition of her research and work regarding violence against women of color in the US.
Awards
- Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award (2005) for Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide
- Phenomenal Woman Award (2010)
Tenure controversy
On February 22, 2008, Smith received a negative tenure recommendation from the College of Literature, Science and the ArtsUniversity of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is the liberal arts and sciences unit of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841 with seven students and two teachers, the college is currently the largest unit at U-M in terms of the number of students...
at the University of Michigan. This decision has attracted "an unusual degree of attention from scholars, both at Ann Arbor and nationally" and prompted some observers to conclude "the University's tenure evaluation process discriminates against women of color and interdisciplinary professors."
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 blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s. 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." A Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group in support of Smith's tenure bid and online petition to University of Michigan provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
Teresa Sullivan soon followed.
Selected publications
Smith is the author of the following books:- Sacred Sites, Sacred Rites (1998) ISBN B0006R030E
- Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide (2005) ISBN 978-0896087439
- Native Americans and the Christian Right: The Gendered Politics of Unlikely Alliances (2008) ISBN 978-0822341635
Smith edited and/or co-edited the following anthologies:
- The Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology (2006) ISBN 978-0896087620
- The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (2007) ISBN 978-0896087668