معرفی
Laura Harjo is an Mvskoke scholar and Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma's Native American Studies department. She specializes in Indigenous Planning, Community Development, and Indigenous Feminisms. Harjo earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Southern California in 2012, with additional training in GIS and planning. Prior to OU, she spent eight years at the University of New Mexico.
- Education: AA in Liberal Arts (Haskell Indian Nations University, 1991), BS in Geography with GIS track (1994), Graduate Certificate in GIS (USC, 2001), PhD in Geography (USC, 2012).
Her research intersects geography and critical ethnic studies, focusing on Indigenous space/place complexity, anti-violence work (particularly for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/Relatives), and community-based knowledge production. She authored Spiral to the Stars: Mvskoke Tools of Futurity (2019), which applies Mvskoke epistemologies to Indigenous futurity praxis.
Harjo's recent publications address Indigenous feminist responses to colonial violence, GIS applications for marginalized communities, and ethical considerations in sustainable architecture. Her work often combines spatial analysis with Indigenous methodologies.
- Honors include serving on multiple boards like the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (since 2011) and advisory roles for academic journals and publishers.
- Grants received include a $200,000 U.S. Department of Interior project (2004) and smaller community-focused initiatives like the Taos Pueblo land use plan ($44,973).
She co-founded the Indigenous Mapping Network (2005-2011) and has held significant administrative roles including GIS Administrator for the Cherokee Nation (1999-2005). Harjo continues to influence policy through board memberships and conference presentations on Indigenous spatial practices.
