F a l l 2 0 0 5 NEW PROFESSOR TO ENERGIZE ETHNIC STUDIES WITH TEACHING AND From the Director... NEW CENTER It has been four years since the Ethnic Studies Program issued its In many ways, Michael Hames-Garcia is returning home. A native last newsletter. The program has gone Portlander, Hames-Garcia attended Willamette University where he through a number of changes since received a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1993. The next twelve then. Perhaps the biggest changes years found him on the East have come in the area of personnel. Coast, and particularly New In the summer of 2001, the Ethnic York State. He pursued his Studies faculty consisted of two graduate studies at Cornell core faculty members: Assistant University, obtaining an M.A. Professors Jayna Brown and Matt and Ph.D. in English, and for Garcia. The director at that time, the past seven years he has Professor Shari Huhndorf, expressed been a professor of English enthusiasm about another search in at Binghamton University, the 2001-02 academic year to hire a State University of New York. third faculty member. Since then, “I am excited to be returning we have lost Jayna Brown and Matt to Oregon,” Hames-Garcia Garcia, who have taken positions at says, “and hope to be able to the University of California, Riverside contribute something to the and Brown University respectively. communities in which I grew Shari Huhndorf’s tenure as director up.” ended in 2003 as well. After a year in which Professor Dennis Galvan Given his research and directed the program, I became teaching interests as well director in 2004-05. photo by Ernesto Martinez as his plans to develop a research center that will sup- This past year has been an port inquiry into the intersec- excellent one for the program. tions of race, ethnicity, and sexuality, it is certain that Hames-Garcia will We have been joined by Assistant contribute to the intellectual vitality of the program and the university. His Professor Adria Imada, who brings prolific scholarly production – all of which centers on questions of race, excellent credentials from New York gender, sexuality, and identity – has put him at the forefront of academics University and who strengthens our working in the areas of Chicana/o-Latina/o and comparative ethnic lit- curriculum in the areas of Asian and eratures. His single-authored book, Fugitive Thought: Prison Movements, Pacific Islander American studies Race, and the Meaning of Justice (University of Minnesota Press, 2004), is and comparative ethnic studies. an incisive examination of how black and Latina/o prisoners in the 1970s She joins Assistant Professor Brian and 1980s, through literary texts, conceptualized meanings of freedom, Klopotek, who is in his second year justice, and community. “From a critical moral realist perspective,” Hames- after completing his graduate studies Garcia argues, “this book demonstrates how the critiques and moral visions at the University of Minnesota. Both of participants in prison movements can contribute to the production of Klopotek and Imada are recipients of better and more adequate ethical conceptions and to their eventual real- (continued on page 3) (Continued on page 2) New Professor Energizes Ethnic Studies (Continued from page 1) ization.” Hames-Garcia has also co- In addition to his teaching, als; fund a research working group edited two anthologies: Reclaiming Professor Hames-Garcia will make for University of Oregon faculty Identity: Realist Theory and the enormous contributions to the intel- and graduate students; and provide Predicament of Postmodernism lectual life of the campus through travel grants to faculty and graduate (University of California Press, 2000) the standing research center that he students interested in participating and Identity Politics Reconsidered plans to develop. During his year as FMS events. The longer-term goals (Palgrave, forthcoming, 2006). He is Moore Distinguished Professor, he for the center are to fund dissertation currently working on another book- will begin the process of assembling and postdoctoral fellowships and to length manuscript, tentatively enti- the component parts of an as yet support an annual speaker series and tled What Identities Can Do, as well unnamed center that will, according an ongoing research working group. as co-editing an anthology on gay to a proposal submitted earlier this The potential benefits of such a cen- Chicano literature and politics. spring, “advance the cutting edge ter, Hames-Garcia believes, are enor- of scholarship in both ethnic stud- mous. Because of its connection to It is precisely this kind of ies and sexuality studies by crossing FMS, it will “make the University of academic inquiry and strong not only the well-defined boundar- Oregon a nationally recognized site publication record that led to Hames- ies between traditional academic for interdisciplinary studies of race, Garcia’s appointment as the Moore disciplines, but also by helping to ethnicity, and sexuality.” Moreover, Distinguished Visiting Professor in breach the less visible but no less he envisions the center eventually the University of Oregon’s supporting research related English Department. Hames- to the study of the historical Garcia will hold this position His prolific production... and contemporary intersec- during the 2005-06 academic tions of race and sexual- year. As the Moore Professor, has put him at the forefront ity within Oregon and the he will organize a lecture Pacific Northwest. series – bringing to Eugene of academics working in the some of the top scholars Professor Hames-Garcia’s working in the area of eth- areas of Chicana/o-Latina/o presence on campus is cer- nic literature – and teach a and comparative ethnic tain to enliven members of graduate course. Professor the university community at Hames-Garcia’s tenure as a literatures. all levels – undergraduate, regular faculty member in the graduate, and faculty – who Ethnic Studies Program will are interested in questions begin in the fall of 2006. He brings substantial walls separating these of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, a breadth of teaching experience to two areas of inquiry.” The center identity, and power. His status as an the University of Oregon. Hames- will be affiliated with the Future of established scholar in Chicana/o- Garcia has taught small graduate Minority Studies Project (FMS), of Latina/o studies and his extensive seminars and larger undergradu- which Hames-Garcia is a founding involvement in a national network ate surveys on a variety of topics, member. FMS is a national network of academics will help raise the including Chicana/o literature, liter- of scholars who are committed to University of Oregon’s profile within ary theory, queer theory, and race, breaking down the walls between ethnic studies, gender studies, and law and American literature. He has what heretofore have been somewhat sexuality studies circles across the also started a teaching initiative at compartmentalized areas of inquiry: U.S. His status as a senior faculty the Elmira Correctional Facility for racial and ethnic studies, women’s member will also provide internal Men in upstate New York. Professor and gender studies, queer studies, leadership for the Ethnic Studies Hames-Garcia looks forward to offer- and disability studies. Rich Linton, Program, which in turn promises to ing a range of courses in the Ethnic the Vice President of Research and make the program an even stronger Studies curriculum, from lower-divi- Graduate Studies, has generously academic unit within the College of sion courses such as Introduction to provided Hames-Garcia with initial Arts and Sciences. Ethnic Studies and Chicano/Latino seed money that will allow him to Studies to upper-division courses on hire a Graduate Teaching Fellow to prison literature and race and sexual- assist in identifying external sources ity. of funding and writing grant propos- Ethnic Studies Newsletter Fall 2005 2 ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM TO JOIN From the Director WAYNE MORSE CENTER FOR LAW AND (continued) POLITICS IN HOSTING CHEROKEE LEADER the last two American Studies Association’s awards for the extensively involved in tribal self-help best dissertation in the field programs, particularly rural commu- of American Studies. We are nity development projects, commercial indeed fortunate to have two horticultural initiatives, and health care emerging nationally known programs. She is a highly sought after scholars on the program’s core speaker and she has received numer- faculty. In addition, we are ous honors, including American Indian joined this year by Associate Woman of the Year (1986); Woman of Professor Michael Hames- the Year, Ms. Magazine (1987); and the Garcia, an emergent leader in p h U.S. Public Health Service’s Indian the field of Chicana/o-Latina/o o t o Health Service Award (1989). studies. Hames-Garcia is also a b y founding member of the Future J a n the fall, Chief Mankiller will of Minority Studies Project, m I e s co-teach, along with Philip Knight a consortium of over ninety S ch Professor of Law Rennard Strickland scholars from approximately ne pf (Osage and Cherokee), ES 452/552: a dozen institutions, all of Race, Ethnicity, and the Law. The whom are intellectually and focus of their class will be on Native programmatically committed The Ethnic Studies Program is American life, law, and leadership and to bridging racial and ethnic pleased to host Wilma P. Mankiller, will include topics such as Native art, studies, women and gender former Principal Chief of the Cherokee women in tribal culture and leadership, studies, queer studies, and Nation of Oklahoma, during the Fall termination and self-governance poli- disability studies. During his 2005 quarter. Chief Mankiller has been cies, fishing and water rights, gaming, first year, Hames-Garcia will appointed as the Wayne Morse Chair and Indian images in popular culture.