Kent Blansett

Kent Blansett is the Langston Hughes Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and History at the University of Kansas since 2020. A multidisciplinary scholar with Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Shawnee, and Potawatomi heritage, he specializes in Red Power Movement history, Indigenous migrations, and intertribal relations. His research emphasizes Indigenous activism, urban Indigenous communities, and the legacy of colonialism.

Education: Ph.D. in History (University of New Mexico, 2011); M.A. in History (UNM, 2004); B.A. in History and Interdisciplinary/American Indian Studies (University of Missouri, 1997).

• Doctoral work focused on Richard Oakes and Red Power activism
• Undergraduate studies included tribal engagement and repatriation activism

Research interests include:

• Biographies of Indigenous activists
• Urban Indigenous histories
• Intertribal solidarity movements
• Civil War-era Indigenous autonomy

Prominent contributions:

• 2018 Yale University Press book on Richard Oakes
• Featured in LA Times, Indian Country Today, NPR
• Optioned for Hollywood adaptation

• Co-edited Indian Cities: Histories of Indigenous Urbanization
• National Park Service exhibition on Alcatraz Red Power Movement

Teaching focuses on Red Power Movement, global Indigenous histories, and Native strategies for survival. Current projects include histories of the Native American Rights Fund and Red Power in popular culture.