Description

In collaboration with the Indigenous Values Initiative and the American Indian Law Alliance, Syracuse University will expand a project on the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. Originating with 15th century Papal Bulls issued by the Vatican, the Doctrine sanctioned the conquest of non-Christians deemed “enemies of Christ” in Africa and the Americas, and formed a basis for the influential 1823 U.S. Supreme Court decision Johnson v. McIntosh. The project examines connections between the Doctrine and the Catholic Papal Bulls that undergird it, focusing centrally on its enduring influence in U.S. law. Project activities and outcomes will include a series of conferences led by Indigenous scholars and activists, textbooks and curricula for use in college and high school classrooms, academic journal articles, and new translations of the Papal Bulls. The project will also produce podcasts seeking to amplify Indigenous voices, exhibits featuring the work of Indigenous artists, and public scholarship by Indigenous authors, as well as accessible, multilingual materials for religious leaders and congregations in the U.S. and beyond.