Audra Simpson facts for kids

Audra Simpson is a Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University. She studies the history and politics of Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada. Her work combines ideas from anthropology, Indigenous studies, Gender studies, and Political science.

Professor Simpson has won many awards for her book, Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States. She has also received several teaching awards from Columbia University. She is a citizen of the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Nation.

Education

Audra Simpson earned her first degree in Anthropology from Concordia University in 1993. She then continued her studies at McGill University. In 2004, she received her PhD in Anthropology from McGill.

Her PhD paper was titled To the Reserve and Back Again: Kahnawake Mohawk Narratives of Self, Home and Nation. This paper looked at how Mohawk identity is shaped by where people live and move. It also explored how political ideas affect the Mohawk of Kahnawake and other Iroquois groups.

Academic Work and Research

After finishing her PhD, Professor Simpson worked at Cornell University. She was part of their Anthropology Department and American Indian Program for three years.

In 2008, she joined Columbia University as a professor of anthropology. She also supported the university's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. Since 2021, she has been one of two main Indigenous faculty members there.

Mohawk Interruptus Book

Professor Simpson's first book, Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States, came out in 2014. It was based on her PhD research. The book looks at how the United States and Canada have tried to control Iroquoian identities. It shows how these "settler states" often ignore Indigenous nationhood.

In her book, Simpson talks about "nested sovereignty." This means that Indigenous nations have their own power even within larger countries. She also introduces the idea of "refusal." This is when Indigenous people say "no" to the authority of settler states. It's a way to create change without asking for permission.

Mohawk Interruptus has been very popular and won many awards. It received honors from groups like the American Studies Association and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. Many academic journals have reviewed the book. Professor Brendan Hokowhitu praised the book for showing "the complexities of Indigenous life."

Indigenous Women's Rights

Professor Simpson has also written about the rights of Indigenous women. She has given talks on topics like gender and violence against Indigenous women. She argues that Indigenous women have often been treated as if their lives don't matter by settler societies.

Public Service and Advocacy

In 2017, Professor Simpson was chosen to be on a special commission in New York City. This group advised the mayor on public art and monuments.

She has also spoken out in the news about people who falsely claim to be Indigenous. She explains that these false claims are part of a long history of colonial theft.

Professor Simpson has won many teaching awards at Columbia University. She was the second anthropologist ever to win the Mark Van Doren Award for Teaching.