Degree Name
MALS (Master of Arts in Liberal Studies)
Program
Liberal Studies
Date of Award
12-2013
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Marie Tedesco
Committee Members
Amy Collins, Jill LeRoy-Frazier, Victoria Meyer
Abstract
Following the Enlightenment, Western adherence to positivist theory influenced practices of Western research and documentation. Prior to the introduction of positivism into Western scholarship, innovations in printing technology, literary advancements, and the development of capitalism encouraged the passing of copyright statutes by nation-states in fifteenth century Europe. The evolution of copyright and positivism in Europe influenced United States copyright and its protection of the author, as well as the practice of archiving and its role in interpreting history. Because Native American cultures practiced orality, they suffered the loss of their traditional knowledge and cultural expressions not protected by copyright. By incorporating postmodern perspectives on archiving and poststructuralist views on the formation of knowledge, this thesis argues that Native American tribes now use Western forms of digital technology to create archives, record their histories, and reclaim control of their traditional cultural expressions.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Fitch, Michelle L., "Native American Empowerment Through Digital Repatriation" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2291. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2291
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Archival Science Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons