Women and Gender Studies InstituteWomen and Gender Studies Institute
Join the Women and Gender Studies Institute for a Research Seminar with Dr. Vanessa Watts titled: In Consideration of “The Sacred:” Reflection on Purity, Traditionalism and Futures
Dr. Vanessa Watts is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies & Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University
Abstract: This talk will provide reflections on what is held as “sacred” in our origin stories and communities, and how Indigenous knowledges are formed in relation to this term. As Indigenous thought continues to be expand into academic and intellectual spaces, a concomitant tension emerges around what forms of knowledge become permissible. Further, once arriving in these spaces, which are often abstracted from place, the question of can or should Indigenous knowledges be interrogated remains uncertain. In convening “the sacred” as an orienting frame, issues connected to Indigenous forms of purism and traditionalism will be examined.