On July 9, 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which held that under the Indian Major Crimes Act, lands reserved for the Creek Nation in eastern Oklahoma constituted Indian Country. This decision was a major win for Indigenous peoples in the U.S. Legal scholarship is not my area ofContinue reading “Why Teaching Sovereignty Matters”
Category Archives: curriculum
The Fetishization of Historical Actors
As someone who studies how we talk about a particular type of history (Native/Indigenous) I wasn’t surprised when I found myself typing the following tweet: “All statues are is visual proof of the never-ending fetishization of single actors (which starts in elementary school, particularly the ‘founding fathers.’ they should all come down.” I deleted itContinue reading “The Fetishization of Historical Actors”
Understanding the Dominant Discourse of Colonialism: A Qualitative Single Case Study of an 8th Grade U.S. History Classroom
Masta, S. & Rosa, T. J. K. (2019). Understanding the dominant discourse of colonialism: A qualitative single case study of an 8th grade U.S. history classroom. The Social Studies, 110(3), 146-154. The purpose of this qualitative single case study is to investigate how teacher-created curricula addresses key Native American events in early US history andContinue reading “Understanding the Dominant Discourse of Colonialism: A Qualitative Single Case Study of an 8th Grade U.S. History Classroom”
Settler Colonial Legacies: Indigenous Student Reflections on K-12 Social Studies Curriculum
Masta, S. (2018). Settler colonial legacies: Indigenous student reflections on K-12 social studies curriculum. Intersections: Critical Issues in Education, 2(2), 76-88. This article explores how Indigenous students make meaning of the dominant structure of settler colonialism within their K-12 academic experiences. I build on previous work done on settler colonial ideology by linking structural formsContinue reading “Settler Colonial Legacies: Indigenous Student Reflections on K-12 Social Studies Curriculum”
Disrupting Colonial Narratives in the Curriculum
Masta, S. (2016). Disrupting colonial narratives in the curriculum. Multicultural Perspectives, 18(4), 185-191. Within the field of critical education studies scholars argue that social studies curriculum should address colonialism (Brayboy, 2006; Castagno & Brayboy, 2007; Tuck & Gatzambide-Fernandez, 2013). This article presents a single case study of an eighth-grade social studies teacher, and how vestigesContinue reading “Disrupting Colonial Narratives in the Curriculum”
Doing Indian Country Research 