Tristan Reader
- Associate Professor of Practice, American Indian Studies
- Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies-GIDP
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
- (520) 621-7108
- Richard P. Harvill Building, Rm. 226 D
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- treader@arizona.edu
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)
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
2024-25 Courses
-
Food Entrepreneurship
FOOD 340 (Spring 2025) -
Introduction to Food Systems
FOOD 102 (Spring 2025) -
Introduction to Food Systems
NAFS 102 (Spring 2025) -
Many Nations/Native Am
AIS 160A1 (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)
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.
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.