Mikaëla M. Adams

Mikaëla M. Adams is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi. Her research focuses on tribal sovereignty, citizenship, and indigenous identity in the Native South. She examines how six tribes (Pamunkey, Catawba, Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole, and Miccosukee) developed citizenship criteria to protect land, resources, and cultural identity amid federal policies and Jim Crow segregation. Her work challenges essentialist notions of 'Indianness' by highlighting dynamic tribal self-determination.

Adams’ book Who Belongs? (2016) integrates archival materials, oral histories, and ethnological reports to reveal tribal strategies for defining membership. Critics praise its contribution to Native American history, federal law studies, and race relations. The book addresses contemporary issues like casino income distribution and tribal nation-building processes.