When
Where
Join Michael Spears on Tuesday May 12, 2026, from 10:30--11:30 AM in Richard A. Harvill Building at the University of Arizona, Room 332A for his dissertation defense.
Tribal Historic Preservation in Practice: Expressions of Sovereignty within the Structures of the National Historic Preservation Act. This dissertation explores how Tribes express sovereignty through engagement with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the primary federal law used to manage cultural heritage in the United States. Using interviews with Tribal historic preservation professionals and analysis of federal agency records, it examines how Tribes have engaged with the law since the 1992 amendments created new opportunities for Tribal participation. The findings suggest that Tribal participation in the NHPA is not merely about administrative compliance but involves actively engaging with and reshaping historic preservation practice as an ongoing exercise of sovereignty.