After the American Anthropological Association conference last year in Minneapolis, I wrote a short essay for American Ethnologist reflecting on Standing Rock and the role of anthropologists in Indigenous refusals of resource development. I attend to the implications of a panel of water protectors hosted by the AES and consider what it means to “stand with” Standing Rock against pipeline development. Thank you to the AES team for hosting such an important panel and for the opportunity to compose this piece.
You can read the essay, titled “It’s a Feeling, Not a Theory”: A Reflection on Anthropology, Empathy, and Consent at Standing Rock, here.
Tara L. Joly, PhD 