From Self-Determination to Decolonization: How American Indian Activism Reshaped Museum Spaces

<p>The American Indian self-determination movement of the 1960s and 1970s catalyzed fundamental transformations in how museums represent Indigenous cultures, histories, and peoples. Through analyzing the demands for tribal sovereignty, cultural authority, and equitable representation during this pivotal era, I show how these principles were applied in contemporary museum practice through an exhibition analysis of the Autry Museum of the American West. This thesis traces how federal American Indian policy evolved from legal and socio-cultural assimilation toward self-determination while also examining how anthropology and museums historically reinforced colonial and imperial narratives that positioned American Indians as federally dependent, scientific specimens. Through exhibition analyses, I show how activist principles of cultural sovereignty influenced museums to shift from sites reinforcing colonial and imperial frameworks into spaces that promote Indigenous perspectives and healing from historical trauma. This transformation represents a reimagining of how museums approach Indigenous culture and history, showing the continued and lasting impact of the self-determination movement on American museology.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

History, MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Arts and Humanities

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Gruber, Daniel A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Joshua Goode

• Museum Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/948

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1970