Research within the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies examines the way that race, as a system of domination, is intimately tied to issues of gender, class, sexuality, migration, indigeneity, and colonialism. Our faculty and student researchers interrogate historical and contemporary manifestations of white supremacy and explain how systems of domination and acts of resistance create and recreate racial subjects.
Research Across Disciplines
The Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies is interdisciplinary by nature, and our faculty members often engage in research across multiple disciplines.
ENGLISH, IRES, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES — Professors Sarah D. Wald and Ashley Cordes contributed to this article in "Resilience" to offer concrete steps any person or organization can take to continue to stand for inclusive and intersectional environmentalism.
INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - On Jan. 13, 2026, Ernesto Javier Martínez was awarded the two-year $150,000 Fields Fellowship from the Oregon Community Foundation in partnership with Oregon Humanities. The fellowship supports Oregon artists who use creativity and cultural expressions to address communities, such as Martínez's film stories that tell the experiences of queer Latinx youth and the immigrant experience in the US.
