In my research, I have been examining the social and economic impacts of dominant state and societal structures among the Athabascan Indians, in particular the Nets'aii Gwich'in, of northeast Alaska. Articles stemming from this research are cited below. (An article about my more personal experiences while in Alaska can be found by clicking on the caribou above.)
In this work I seek to address the success of this community, centered in Arctic Village, in its ability to adapt to the ever-increasing globalization of capitalism as a social and economic system (see an excellent newspaper article on this issue by clicking HERE).
In 2003, I initiated a major initiative in Interior Alaska which reflects these research interests. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is described at ArcticWays.org. The website, created by the project, is accessible at ArcticWays.com.
I wrote an op/ed for the Anchorage Daily News about the project (June 30, 2006). It can be read at the ADN website, or in reprinted form at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Innovators Network.
The following are links to some of the other press/media coverage concerning the project:
In addition, in 2005 I completed the direction of the reconstruction and historic preservation of the Bishop Rowe Episcopalian Chapel in Arctic Village (below). The project (2001-2005) was supported in part by the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska and others (CLICK HERE for more details). Project Architect Robert Mitchell (Anchorage) and Foreman Richard Musick (Fairbanks) played essential roles in the implementation of this project.
Publications:
“Globalisation and development in a post-nomadic hunter/gatherer Alaskan village: a follow-up assessment” in Polar Record, vol. 43(226): 255-69, 2007.
“Bridging the Technology Gap: Building a Development Model for Rural Alaska,” with Elizabeth Mariotz and Parimal Bhagat, in the Journal of Cultural Geography, vol. 24(2): 53-77, Spring/Summer 2007.
“Website Development and Alaska Native Identities: Hunting for Meaning in Cyberspace,” with Timothy McGee, Parimal S. Bhagat, & Elizabeth Mariotz, in the International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society. Vol. 2(1): 79-90, 2006.
“Bringing the Knowledge Economy to Isolated and Rural Communities: Balancing Cultural and Economic Sustainability”, with Bhagat, Parimal S. & Elizabeth Mariotz, in the International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Vol. 1(3): 135-40, 2005.
“The Politics of Education Provision in Rural Native Alaska: The Case of Yukon Village,” in Race Ethnicity and Education Vol. 7(4): 399-417, December 2004; Reprinted in Human Evolution, Vol. 20(4): 259-81, 2005.
“Globalization and Development in a Post-Nomadic Hunter/Gatherer Village: The Case of Arctic Village, Alaska” in The Northern Review, No. 25/26: 135-60, Summer/Winter 2005.
“‘The Lord Will Provide’: The History and Role of Episcopalian Christianity in Nets’aii Gwich’in Social Development - Arctic Village, Alaska,” in Indigenous Nations Studies Journal, vol. 4(1): 3-28, 2003.
“Analysis of a ‘Mixed Economy’ in an Alaskan Native Settlement: The Case of Arctic Village,” in the Canadian Journal of Native Studies, vol. XXIII(1): 167-96, 2003.
“Villagers Threatened: Arctic Oil Drilling Would Harm Natives Dependent on Caribou,” in The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA, August 8, 2001.
“Gwich’in Nation Fights for Cultural Survival Against Arctic Drilling,” published on-line by the Independent Media Center of Philadelphia, February 18, 2001. Reprinted by the Institute for Global Communications EcoNet, March 12, 2001.
“Drilling in Pristine Refuge Would Destroy Native Culture,” in the Bucks County (PA) Courier Times. February 16, 2001.
“The Real Cost of Drilling,” The Christian Science Monitor, October 8, 1999.
BACK
