In this virtual seminar, English professors from the University of New Mexico discuss their community-engaged research methods, as processes of healing, empowerment, and community-building. Dr. Otaño Gracia, a Medieval literature scholar, will introduce how to use name and place narratives to enhance research. She will discuss testimonio (how our lived experiences are an additional source of knowledge) and querencia (the places we love and love us back) as important research tools for Medievalists.

Dr. Sarah Hernandez, a Native American literature scholar, will examine how print literature has been used to colonize and decolonize the Oceti Sakowin. She will trace the transformation of the Oceti Sakowin literary tradition from an oral to a print form, and discuss recent efforts to reclaim and decolonize Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota literatures.