معرفی
Sarah Deer is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and University Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, holding a joint appointment in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and the School of Public Affairs & Administration. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the KU School of Law and serves as Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals. Her research focuses on federal Indian law, victims’ rights, and indigenous feminist principles, addressing sexual violence in Native communities and tribal jurisdictional sovereignty.
Education: J.D. (with Tribal Lawyer Certificate) and B.A. in Women’s Studies/Philosophy (with honors) from the University of Kansas. She co-authored four tribal law textbooks and has published widely in law journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. Her landmark 2015 book The Beginning and End of Rape received the NASIA Best First Book Award.
Research Interests: Deer’s work bridges legal advocacy and scholarship, emphasizing tribal sovereignty, gender equity, and decolonizing legal frameworks. She has testified before Congress four times on violence against Native women and chaired a federal advisory committee on sexual violence in Indian Country. Her recent focus includes tribal jurisdiction over abortion access and feminist jurisprudence in tribal courts.
Awards: MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2014), National Women’s Hall of Fame (2019), and numerous recognitions from legal and governmental bodies. Her advocacy has driven federal policy changes, including the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Teaching and Leadership: Teaches Feminist Jurisprudence at KU, mentoring students in tribal law and social justice. As Chief Justice, she advances equitable jurisprudence in tribal appellate systems. Her work extends to collaborative initiatives like the Garden of Truth project addressing Native women’s trafficking in Minnesota.
Labs/Teams: Engaged with tribal judicial systems, federal policy reform, and interdisciplinary academic networks. Her research group collaborates on projects such as tribal protection order efficacy and indigenous legal frameworks.
