Department:
Ethnic Studies
Bio/CV:
Kathleen Whiteley (Wiyot descent) is an assistant professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies. She was born and raised in Eureka, California, and is a descendant of the Wiyot Tribe.
Research interests:
Prof. Whiteley’s research focuses on Native American history in California from the nineteenth century to the present, with particular emphasis on the social, legal, and gendered dimensions of Indigenous North America.
Selected publications and projects:
- Justice in the Balance: The Indians of California versus The United States of America, manuscript in progress.
- “History on the Lost Coast: Locating Wiyot Stories of Resilience in Nancy and Matilda Spear,” The American Historical Review 129, no. 4 (December 1, 2024): 1542–66.
- 2025 Arrell M. Gibson prize for the best article of the year on Native American history from the Western History Association.
- History in Focus Podcast: Histories of Resilience, December 2024. The American Historical Review.
- “In the Grand Scheme of Things: California Indians and California Land Claims, 1920-1945,” California History 102, no. 2 (May 2025): 3-21.
- 2025 Richard J. Orsi Prize for the best essay published in California History in 2025.
Multimedia
- Tuluwat Reclaimed, a short film co-produced alongside director Michelle Hernandez (Wiyot)
- Tuluwat Reclaimed is sponsored by Centering Tribal Stories, a University of California multicampus grant. The film traces the intergenerational political activism and environmental cleanup to reclaim the village of Tuluwat in Eureka, California.
- Link to film: https://arcg.is/j1yz90
Role:
Full CV:
