Shari M. Huhndorf

Shari M. Huhndorf serves as the Class of 1938 Professor of Native American Studies within UC Berkeley's Department of Ethnic Studies. A Yup'ik scholar raised in Alaska, her work bridges academic research and Indigenous community engagement, focusing on Alaska Native sovereignty, cultural representation, and gendered land relations. She holds significant leadership roles including Chair of the Repatriation Committee at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, New York University
• M.A. in Comparative Literature, New York University
• B.A. in English, University of Redlands

Huhndorf's research interrogates the inseparability of Indigenous cultural systems from territorial sovereignty, with particular emphasis on Alaska Native communities. Her scholarship examines literary and visual representations through decolonial and feminist frameworks, analyzing how Indigenous peoples resist colonial erasure through cultural production. Current projects include a community-based history of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act developed with Roy Huhndorf.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with Indigenous land sovereignty, cultural resilience, and gendered spatial politics. Her work demonstrates evolving focus from foundational critiques of 'going native' tropes toward contemporary analyses of corporate tribalism and Indigenous health sovereignty, always centering Alaska Native epistemologies.

Her honors include:

• Canadian Women's Studies Association Outstanding Scholarship Prize
• Alaska Federation of Natives President's Award
• UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching and Mentor Awards
• Guggenheim, Ford, and Woodrow Wilson Fellowships

As a dedicated mentor, Huhndorf has guided numerous graduate students while securing major research funding. Her current ANCSA project exemplifies community-engaged scholarship. Institutional affiliations span Berkeley's Center for Race and Gender, Joseph A. Myers Center for Research on Native American Issues, and the Designated Emphasis in Gender and Women's Studies.

She actively shapes national discourse through service on the National Museum of the American Indian Board and previously chaired the MLA's Twentieth-Century American Literature Division. Her decade-long service with the CIRI Foundation demonstrates sustained commitment to Alaska Native educational advancement.