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Tristan Reader

  • Associate Professor of Practice, American Indian Studies
  • Member of the Graduate Faculty
  • Associate Professor of Practice, School of Geography Development and Environment
  • Associate Professor, American Indian Studies-GIDP
Contact
  • (520) 621-7108
  • Richard P. Harvill Building, Rm. 226 D
  • Tucson, AZ 85721
  • treader@arizona.edu
  • Bio
  • Interests
  • Courses
  • Scholarly Contributions

Biography

For over 20 years, Tristan Reader has worked on issues related to Indigenous food sovereignty; sustainable and culturally-based development; community empowerment and leadership; and Native American social entrepreneurship.

He is currently Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona with a dual appointment in the Department of American Indian Studies and at the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship. He comes to the UofA after 20 years of grassroots work within the Tohono O’odham community wherre – from 1996 through 2015 – he served as Co-Founder and Co-Director of Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA). 

Degrees

  • Ph.D. Agroecology, Water and Resilience
    • Coventry University, Coventry, Warwickshire, United Kingdom
    • "Thereby We Shall Live": Tohono O’odham Food Sovereignty and the Confluence of Quantum Leadership, Cultural Vitality, Public Health, and Economic Hybridity
  • M.Div. Religion
    • Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
  • B.A. Philosophy & Political Science
    • Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States

Work Experience

  • Tohono O'odham Community Action (TOCA) (1996 - 2015)

Related Links

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Interests

Teaching

Food Sovereignty; Food Studies; Native American Studies; Qualitative, Indigenous and Participatory Methodologies; Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Indigenous Economics; Native American Public Health; Leadership and Empowerment Theory and Practice

Research

Food Sovereignty; Indigenous Economics; Native American Public Health; Leadership and Empowerment Theory and Practice

Courses

2025-26 Courses

  • Critical Food Practices
    FOOD 302 (Fall 2025)
  • Indigenous Economics
    AIS 426A (Fall 2025)
  • Intro Amer Indian Stds
    AIS 200 (Fall 2025)
  • Principles of Indigenous Econ
    AIS 526A (Fall 2025)

2024-25 Courses

  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    AIS 220 (Spring 2025)
  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    ANTH 220 (Spring 2025)
  • Food Entrepreneurship
    FOOD 340 (Spring 2025)
  • Introduction to Food Systems
    FOOD 102 (Spring 2025)
  • Introduction to Food Systems
    NAFS 102 (Spring 2025)
  • Research
    ARL 900 (Spring 2025)
  • Food Fights
    FOOD 360 (Fall 2024)
  • Intro Amer Indian Stds
    AIS 200 (Fall 2024)
  • Research
    AISG 900 (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    AIS 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    AIS 531A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    ANTH 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    ANTH 531A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    ENVS 531A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    GEOG 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    RAM 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    RAM 531A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    RNR 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    RNR 531A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    WFSC 431A (Fall 2024)
  • Tradition Ecological Knowledge
    WSM 531A (Fall 2024)

2023-24 Courses

  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 495A (Spring 2024)
  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 595A (Spring 2024)
  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    AIS 220 (Spring 2024)
  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    ANTH 220 (Spring 2024)
  • Research
    ARL 900 (Spring 2024)
  • Intro Amer Indian Stds
    AIS 200 (Fall 2023)

2022-23 Courses

  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    AIS 220 (Spring 2023)
  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    ANTH 220 (Spring 2023)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Spring 2023)
  • Intro Amer Indian Stds
    AIS 200 (Fall 2022)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2022)

2021-22 Courses

  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Spring 2022)
  • Rsrch Design+Methodology
    AIS 548 (Spring 2022)
  • Fund of American Indian Study
    AIS 504A (Fall 2021)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2021)

2020-21 Courses

  • Independent Study
    AIS 599 (Spring 2021)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Spring 2021)
  • Independent Study
    AIS 699 (Fall 2020)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2020)
  • Rsrch Design+Methodology
    AIS 548 (Fall 2020)

2019-20 Courses

  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    AIS 220 (Spring 2020)
  • Contemp Am Indian Issues
    ANTH 220 (Spring 2020)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Spring 2020)
  • Fund of American Indian Study
    AIS 504A (Fall 2019)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2019)
  • Rsrch Design+Methodology
    AIS 548 (Fall 2019)

2018-19 Courses

  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 495A (Spring 2019)
  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 595A (Spring 2019)
  • Innovating:Creating the Future
    ENTR 485 (Spring 2019)
  • Research
    AIS 900 (Spring 2019)
  • Indigenous Food Sovereignty
    LAW 631R (Winter 2018)
  • Innovating:Creating the Future
    ENTR 485 (Fall 2018)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2018)
  • Research
    AIS 900 (Fall 2018)
  • Rsrch Design+Methodology
    AIS 548 (Fall 2018)

2017-18 Courses

  • Innovating:Creating the Future
    ENTR 485 (Spring 2018)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Spring 2018)
  • Research
    AIS 900 (Spring 2018)
  • Innovating:Creating the Future
    ENTR 485 (Fall 2017)
  • Many Nations/Native Am
    AIS 160A1 (Fall 2017)

2016-17 Courses

  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 495A (Spring 2017)
  • American Indian Studies
    AIS 595A (Spring 2017)
  • Innovating:Creating the Future
    ENTR 485 (Spring 2017)
  • Rsrch Design+Methodology
    AIS 548 (Spring 2017)

Related Links

UA Course Catalog

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

  • Thompson, A. B., & Reader, T. (2021). The Hoofed Clan story and storywork: Red Lake Ojibwe foodways and Indigenous food sovereignty. In Routledge Handbook of the Archaeology of Indigenous-Colonial Interaction in the Americas,(pp 486-502). Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Reader, T., & Thompson, A. (2020). The Hoofed Clan Story and Storywork: Red Lake Ojibwe Foodways and Indigenous Food Sovereignty. In Handbook of the Archaeology of Indigenous-Colonial Interaction in the Americas. Routledge.
  • Reader, T., & Johnson, T. (2017). Fishing for Change: A Pedagogy of Native Food Sovereignty. In Food Leadership: Leadership and Adult Learning for Global Food Systems Transformation(pp 37-52). Rotterdam/Boston: Sense Publishers.
  • Reader, T., & Johnson, T. (2016). Tohono O'odham Himdag and Agri/Culture. In Religion and Sustainable Development. University of Kentucky Press.

Journals/Publications

  • Rainie, S. C., Rainie, S. C., Yazzie, J., Yazzie, J., Wilson, J., Wilson, J., Whiting, D., Whiting, D., Walker, A., Walker, A., Strawhacker, C., Strawhacker, C., Reader, T., Reader, T., Pulsifer, P., Pulsifer, P., Larson, S., Larson, S., Juan, A., , Juan, A., et al. (2019). Building an Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network Through Relational Accountability. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
  • Jäger, M., Rainie, S. C., Strawhacker, C., Johnson, N., Pulsifer, P., Ferguson, D. H., Reader, T., & Huntington, O. (2018). The Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network: Supporting Indigenous Scholars through Research and Academic Innovations. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
    More info
    In recent decades, there has been a movement toward rectifying injustices and developing collab­orations between Indigenous communities and mainstream researchers to address environmental challenges that are of concern to Indigenous Peo­ples. This movement, primarily driven by Indige­nous community leaders and scholars, emphasizes community-driven research that addresses Indige­nous People’s interests, foregrounds Indigenous Knowledge systems, and both respects and asserts Indigenous sovereignty. This article describes a nascent model in the movement—the Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN)—designed to connect Indigenous communities and scholars across the Arctic and the U.S. Southwest. IFKN’s goal is to foster a network of Indigenous leaders, citizens, and scholars who are focused on research and community capacity related to food sover­eignty and resilience. IFKN members collectively work to promote and carry out research that (1) utilizes Indigenous research processes, (2) embraces and respects Indigenous Knowledge sys­tems, and (3) supports Indigenous communities (IFKN, 2018). The authors discuss relational accountability and centering of story, which form the foundation for the methodological approaches and work of IFKN.  

Presentations

  • Reader, T. (2018, October). Native Food Sovereignty: Indigenous Knowledge, Science, & Relational Accountability. SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference. San Antonio, TX: Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science.
  • Reader, T. (2017, August). Tohono O’odham Food Sovereignty: Moving Mountains. Incorporating Public Health Skills to Improve Quality of Life: Examples from Native American Food Systems. University of Arizona: UA Center for Rural Health; Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
  • Reader, T. (2017, August). “Community-Based Planning & Evaluation for Wellness”. Incorporating Public Health Skills to Improve Quality of Life: Examples from Native American Food Systems. University of Arizona: UA Center for Rural Health; Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Others

  • Reader, T. (2018, October). "Thereby we shall live" : Tohono O'odham food sovereignty and the confluence of quantum leadership, cultural vitality, public health, and economic hybridity. PhD Dissertation. https://openalex.org/W2976434579

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