University of Kansas distinguished professor and legal scholar Sarah Deer is set to give a public lecture about her work with tribal law to strengthen outcomes for survivors of sexual violence.
In her inaugural distinguished professor lecture at KU, Deer will speak on the topic, “What If Survivors Wrote the Laws? An Exploration of Tribal Statutes on Sexual Violence.”
“My research shows that tribal criminal laws tend to be unaffected by rape law reform efforts in the 1990s,” Deer, Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, said in a KU news release. “Because Native people suffer the highest rates of sexual assault in the United States, my research is intended to support the reform of tribal statutes to ensure that tribal prosecutors have the tools needed to prosecute sexual assault.”
Throughout her scholarship, Deer analyzes the intersection of federal Indian law and victims’ rights, while using Indigenous feminist principles as anchors. Her 2015 book, “The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America,” ties together 25 years of her advocacy work with survivors.
During her lecture, Deer will share findings from her soon-to-be-published work in which she comprehensively reviewed tribal nations’ sexual assault statutes. She also suggests sexual assault can better be addressed in tribal courts by utilizing Indigenous feminist legal theories about consent and sexual autonomy.
In addition to her professorship in KU’s departments of Indigenous Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well the KU School of Law, Deer is a lawyer. She has co-written four textbooks on tribal law, and her work has been published in several law journals. Deer was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2014 and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
She’s earned national recognition for her work to oppose violence against Native women, including awards from the American Bar Association and the Department of Justice. She also testified before Congress on four occasions and was appointed to chair a federal advisory committee on sexual violence in Indian country.
Deer’s lecture is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 4 in the Malott Room at the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. on KU’s campus.
The event is free to attend, but registration is required via an online form at this link. A recording of the lecture will later be posted to the KU Office of Faculty Affairs website, facultyaffairs.ku.edu.
