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Heather Bruegl

Surveying the Land Back: How a Problematic History can Help Indigenous Nations

Heather Bruegl
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 6PM
Studio 2

Land surveying, often utilized to establish maps and boundaries of ownership, has a long and problematic legacy as a tool used in the ongoing theft of land from Indigenous Nations across the Americas. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was established in 1824 as a center for science and engineering in which the teaching of surveying—a technique that contributed to the forced displacement of the Indigenous peoples in the region—was a central part of the curriculum.

In this talk, Heather Bruegl, historian of American history, legacies of colonization, and Indigeneity, charts the history of how land surveying was used to cause great harm to Indigenous Nations and how that same profession can be practiced today to support the “Land Back” movement.

Main Image: Heather Bruegl. Photo: Frances Cathryn.

Dates + Tickets

Talk
Surveying the Land Back: How a Problematic History can Help Indigenous Nations
Heather Bruegl
Wednesday 14
6:00 PM
September 2022
FREE
Presented By

EMPAC Fall 2022

Event Type
Discipline
History
Science

Season