Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson of the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law will kick off the 2002-03 Chancellor's Community Lecture Series on Sept. 30 with a talk on "The Rise of Modern Indian Nations: Tribal Action Since World War II."
The event is the first of eight public lectures to be presented by CU-Boulder faculty on the theme of "Healing the West: Remedy, Repair, Restoration, Mitigation." The series is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Office of the Chancellor, the CU-Boulder Center of the American West and the Colorado Chautauqua Association.
All lectures will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Chautauqua Community House at 900 Baseline Road in Boulder. All of the talks are free and open to the public and no reservations are required. Seating is limited.
All over the West, people are trying to do more than lament past injury, according to CU-Boulder history Professor Patricia Limerick, another of the series' speakers. The "Healing the West" series offers community members an opportunity to interact with CU-Boulder faculty on topics ranging from the repair of damaged ecosystems to efforts to revitalize Indian languages, to the increase in Westerners expressing a desire to face up to, and address, the injuries of the past.
Following Wilkinson's lecture on Sept. 30, the series will continue from November to May on the first Wednesday of every month, except for the lecture on Jan. 15. The series will feature CU-Boulder faculty members from disciplines including French and Italian, engineering, biology, environmental studies, musicology, English, environmental engineering and history.
Wilkinson is the Moses Lasky Professor of Law at CU and has written broadly on law, history and society in the American West for more than 30 years. A former staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, his 12 books include "American Indians, Time, and the Law," "Fire on the Plateau" and "Messages From Frank's Landing."
For generations, American Indian people endured repressive policies and desperate economic conditions that evoked comparisons between their reservations and concentration camps, Wilkinson said. Beginning in the 1950s, Indian people cast off their century-long forced inaction and over time have made themselves part of the nation's political and economic apparatus.
For information call the CU-Boulder Office of Community Affairs at (303) 492-7084. A complete schedule of lectures is posted at and .
THE 2002-03 CU-BOULDER
CHANCELLOR'S COMMUNITY LECTURE SERIES
"Healing the West: Remedy, Repair, Restoration, Mitigation"
Presented in partnership with the CU-Boulder Office of the Chancellor, the Center of the American West and the Colorado Chautauqua Association
Monday, Sept. 30, 2002
"The Rise of Modern Indian Nations: Tribal Action Since World War II"
Charles Wilkinson, Moses Lasky Professor of Law and distinguished professor
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2002
"Western Air: Progress and Challenges in Protecting Human Health and Scenic Vistas"
Mike Hannigan, research associate and assistant professor-mechanical engineering; Jana Milford, associate professor-school of law and mechanical engineering
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002
"Matachines Music and Dance: How Scholars Can Contribute to Ritual Continuity and Cultural Well-Being"
Brenda Romero, associate professor-musicology
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003
"Reversing the Trend of Habitat Loss in the West: The Uncertain Promise of Ecological Restoration"
Sharon Collinge, assistant professor-biology and environmental studies
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003
"Recovering the West: Mexican Americans and the Expansion of Democratic Cultures"
John-Michael Rivera, assistant professor-department of English
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
"Abandoned Mines and Acid Mine Drainage: Dealing with the Legacy of Hit-and-Run Mining in Boulder County"
Joe Ryan, associate professor-civil, environmental and architectural engineering, director- environmental engineering program
Wednesday, April 2, 2003
"Native American Languages in the West: A Prognosis for the Future"
Andrew Cowell, assistant professor-French and Italian department
Wednesday, May 7, 2003
"The Rise of Regret in the American West: How to Tell Meaningful Action from Pointless Wallowing"
Patty Limerick, professor-history and environmental studies, chair of the board, Center of the American West