Robert C. Perez

Robert C. Perez (Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies Department) Office: HMNSS 3613 Phone: (909) 787-4577 x11828 Email: robertcperez@hotmail.com

Degrees

PhD History 2001 University of California, Riverside
MA History 1997 University of California, Riverside
BA History 1992 University of San Diego

Research Areas

Robert's research and teaching focus on developing a comprehensive understanding of the historical experiences of the Native peoples of the vast region comprised of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Sonora, and Chihuahua. His goal is to make historical connections between pre-contact aboriginal societies, colonialism, and the modern situation. For example, one of Robert's current research projects centers on the strong connections between the colonial Spanish mission systems and the modern prison systems in California and the Southwest. He is also examining the indigenous roots of Chicano street/prison gangs and the recent spread of such gangs to groups as diverse as the Yaquis, Tohono O'odham, and Navajos.

Publications

Robert Pérez has published A History of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians: 1776-1876 (Indio, CA: Fantasy Press, 1999). He has a book review forthcoming in Religion entitled "The Invention of Prophecy: Continuity and Meaning in Hopi Indian Religion," and a chapter entitled "Evolution of a Desert Cahuilla Nation" to be included in a forthcoming anthology edited by Professor Clifford E. Trafzer.

Biography

Robert Perez is just beginning his career as an historian and looks forward to years of travel, research, and sharing with Indian people from all over the continent. His primary concern is writing history which is not only sound according to today's academic standards, but more importantly, history which speaks to the Native youth and helps them understand how it is that we arrived in the modern situation and gives them pride in their past.

Robert's research is guided by the understanding that the modern situations of Native peoples are inextricably linked to these historical processes. For this reason his dissertation is a study of Spanish colonialism in what are now the states of Sonora, Arizona, and California. More precisely, the dissertation examines Indian rebellions against the Spaniards as a way of understanding what motivated Native peoples during this period and how they adjusted, reorganized, fought against, and survived the Spanish colonial assault. The dissertation uses an analysis of ritual, symbolism, dance, and Native spiritual practices to show that resistance to colonialism was multi-faceted and continuous. Robert integrates oral histories, botanical knowledge, and traditional archival sources to present a more complete picture and an Indian perspective. Ultimately the goal is to present an Indian-centered history that is concerned with the ramifications of colonialism for Indian peoples. Robert believes that colonialism has not ended in any way, shape, or form for Native peoples and that the current colonial governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico must be put into the proper perspective as occupying forces which are historically and intimately linked with the previous colonial regimes. His research shows that the Native peoples of today face many of the same struggles as their ancestors and use many of the same strategies and survival techniques. He also has a strong interest in the history and modern situation of the federally unrecognized and terminated tribes of California and Texas.