Nigora Erkaeva

Dr. Nigora Erkaeva is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. She concurrently serves as a postdoctoral researcher for the Southeast Michigan Stewardship (SEMIS) Coalition, leading the Indigenous Ways of Knowing Initiative to integrate Indigenous wisdom into educational curricula. Her research examines the intersection of education, social/ecological justice, and structural inequality, employing frameworks such as ecojustice, postcolonial theory, and settler colonial studies. She investigates how discursive processes shape systems of knowledge and inform societal actions.

• Research Focus: Education's role in addressing systemic inequalities through ecofeminist and place-based methodologies
• Key Theoretical Approaches: Indigenous knowledge systems, critical pedagogy, and environmental justice

Dr. Erkaeva's work emphasizes decolonizing educational practices and fostering symbiotic relationships between human and ecological systems. She is based at the LSA Building in Ann Arbor, MI.