Eric Cheyfitz

Eric Cheyfitz is the Ernest I. White Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters at Cornell University, where he is affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. He serves as a faculty member of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP), for which he has previously served as director. His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to American Studies, Indigenous Studies, and postcolonial theory.

Dr. Cheyfitz's scholarship focuses on the force of settler colonialism on Indigenous peoples and their ongoing resistance against predatory capitalism embedded in settler existence. His research particularly examines the intersection of settler colonialism in Palestine and Native America, exploring how exceptionalist narratives shape both contexts. His work bridges literary analysis, legal studies, and political theory to examine how Indigenous knowledge systems offer alternatives to capitalist frameworks. As evidenced by his extensive publication record, his research interests include:

• American Indian Literatures and Federal Indian Law
• Comparative Indigenous Studies
• Settler Colonialism in North America and Palestine
• Translation Theory and Colonial Knowledge Production
• Genocide Discourse and Exceptionalism Studies

His extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on the relationship between Indigenous thought and resistance to capitalist structures. His recent works (2014-2025) show a growing emphasis on comparative analysis between Native American and Palestinian experiences under settler colonialism, with particular attention to legal frameworks, genocide discourse, and the translation of Indigenous social systems into Western legal structures. His scholarship reveals strong interdisciplinary connections between literature, law, political theory, and Indigenous studies.

Dr. Cheyfitz has received significant recognition for his scholarly contributions:

• His book The Poetics of Imperialism: Translation and Colonization from The Tempest to Tarzan (1991, 1997) was named by Choice as one of the outstanding academic books of 1991
• His co-edited volume Sovereignty, Indigeneity, and the Law won the award for best special issue of an academic journal in 2011 from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals
• The same volume was acknowledged for "Outstanding Indigenous Scholarship" in 2011 by the American Indian and Alaska Native Professors Association

Beyond his academic work, Dr. Cheyfitz has been actively involved in social action both in Indian country and on behalf of Palestinian rights. His commitment to social justice extends to his administrative roles, having served as director of the AIISP, faculty coordinator of the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, and director of the Mellon Post-doctoral Diversity Seminar. His scholarly work is deeply connected to contemporary political struggles, particularly regarding Indigenous rights and Palestinian liberation.