Without Destroying Ourselves : A Century of Native Intellectual Activism for Higher Education

John A Goodwin

ISBN 10: 1496244990 / ISBN 13: 9781496244994

Published by Nebraska Jan 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - Without Destroying Ourselves is an intellectual history of Native activism seeking greater access to and control of higher education in the twentieth century. John A. Goodwin traces themes of Henry Roe Cloud s (Ho-Chunk) vision for Native intellectual leadership and empowerment in the early 1900s to the later missions of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and education-based self-determination movements of the 1960s onward. Vital to Cloud s work was the idea of how to build from Native identity and adapt without destroying that identity. As the central themes of the movement for Native control in higher education developed over the course of several decades, a variety of Native activists carried Cloud s vision forward. Goodwin explores how Elizabeth Bender Cloud (Ojibwe), D Arcy McNickle (Salish Kootenai), Jack Forbes (Powhatan-RenapÉ, Delaware Lenape), and others built on and contributed to this common thread of Native intellectual activism. Goodwin demonstrates that Native activism for self-determination was never snuffed out by the swing of the federal government s pendulum away from tribal governance and toward termination. Moreover, efforts for Native control in education remained a vital aspect of that activism. Without Destroying Ourselves documents this period through the full accreditation of TCUs in the late 1970s and reinforces TCUs continuing relevance in confronting the unique needs and challenges of Native communities today.

Seller Inventory # 9781496244994

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Without Destroying Ourselves : A Century of Native Intellectual Activism for Higher Education
• Publisher: Nebraska Jan 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1496244990
• ISBN 13: 9781496244994
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 15D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 15 millimeters depth
• Weight: 363 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Without Destroying Ourselves is an intellectual history of Native activism seeking greater access to and control of higher education in the twentieth century. John A. Goodwin traces themes of Henry Roe Cloud’s (Ho-Chunk) vision for Native intellectual leadership and empowerment in the early 1900s to the later missions of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and education-based self-determination movements of the 1960s onward.

Vital to Cloud’s work was the idea of how to build from Native identity and adapt without destroying that identity. As the central themes of the movement for Native control in higher education developed over the course of several decades, a variety of Native activists carried Cloud’s vision forward. Goodwin explores how Elizabeth Bender Cloud (Ojibwe), D’Arcy McNickle (Salish Kootenai), Jack Forbes (Powhatan-Renapé, Delaware Lenape), and others built on and contributed to this common thread of Native intellectual activism.

Goodwin demonstrates that Native activism for self-determination was never snuffed out by the swing of the federal government’s pendulum away from tribal governance and toward termination. Moreover, efforts for Native control in education remained a vital aspect of that activism. Without Destroying Ourselves documents this period through the full accreditation of TCUs in the late 1970s and reinforces TCUs’ continuing relevance in confronting the unique needs and challenges of Native communities today.
 

About the Author

John A. Goodwin teaches U.S. history at BASIS Phoenix in Arizona.