Brenda Child

Brenda Child is a Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Department of American Indian Studies. Born on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation, she has contributed extensively to American Indian history through award-winning publications.

• PhD in History (University of Iowa, 1993)
• MA in History (University of Iowa, 1983)
• BS Ed in History & Social Studies (Bemidji State University, 1981)

Her research focuses on Ojibwe history, American Indian women's roles, labor practices, and the history of Indigenous education. She has authored seminal works analyzing boarding schools, family dynamics, and community resilience in the Great Lakes region. Her publications reveal a commitment to documenting Indigenous experiences through public history and museum studies.

Child's books have earned national recognition, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2022), American Indian Book Award, North American Indian Prose Award, and Best Book in Midwestern History. These works span topics from 20th-century boarding schools to intergenerational cultural education in children's literature.

• Guggenheim Fellowship (2022)
• American Indian Youth Literature Award (2018)
• American Indian Book Award (2014)
• Best Book in Midwestern History (2014)
• North American Indian Prose Award (1998)

As a former chair of both the Department of American Studies and Department of American Indian Studies, Child has shaped academic programs while serving on prestigious boards like the National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian. Her current project examines the history of American Indian marriage laws and their societal impacts.