A Selection of David Shorter's Work
Based on decades of ethnographic research, David's book proved to be a much needed contribution to ethical anthropology. The book won the Chicago Prize for best book in folklore and was a finalist for other book awards.
An extraordinary work of engaged ethnography, We Will Dance Our Truth questions familiar oppositions of myth and history, orality and writing. David brilliantly argues that Yoeme prophecies and ritual acts are old, and continuing ways of inscribing place and making history. He writes with poetic sensitivity, intellectual rigor, and a deep commitment to Yoeme sovereignty.
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~ James Clifford
Author of The Predicament of Culture, and Routes, as
well as Returns.
In this innovative and performative approach to the expressive culture of the Yaqui (Yoeme) people of the Sonora and Arizona borderlands, David provides an altogether fresh understanding of Yoeme worldviews. Based on extensive field study, David's interpretation of the community’s ceremonies and oral traditions as forms of “historical inscription” reveals new meanings of their legends of the Talking Tree, their narrative of myth-and-history known as the Testamento, their fabled deer dances, funerary rites and church processions.
Working collaboratively with Yoeme communities, his scrupulous investigation challenges received wisdom from both anthropological and New Age perspectives, demonstrates how Yoeme performances provide a counter-discourse to earlier understandings of colonialism and conquest, and updates our knowledge of contemporary Yoeme society. Through David's vivid descriptions and penetrating analyses, we see for ourselves how today’s Yoemem navigate the tribulations and opportunities of the twenty-first century. You can find the book here.
Indigenous Films - Book Editor
David Delgado Shorter has been a long-time co-editor of the Indigenous Films book series published by University of Nebraska Press. The series explores and illuminates individual films produced by or about indigenous peoples around the globe. Each book in the series focuses on a single film, addressing key issues raised by the film and demonstrating effective approaches to interpretation. The series's purpose is to provide short, accessible, and affordable companions to indigenous cinema that can be used in classrooms across disciplines and by the general public. You can learn more about the series and the individual books that David helped edit here.
As with many scholars, David has written extensively. Please visit his academic page for a full list on his curriculum vitae. Here are a selection of the pieces that have made their mark in the world.
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Alien Contact and Searches for Intelligence​
In this peer-reviewed essay, David posits that the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life (SETI) remains grounded in a hierarchical and progressivist worldview that has fueled colonialism throughout history. This article advocates for more engagement with Indigenous studies scholarship to reach a genuine frontier, which would entail a metaparadigm shift beyond object-oriented scientific methods. These methods constitute what most have learned as “science.” ​ You can find the full article here.
First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history
Are we about to learn a lot more about contact with aliens? The news would have you believe it. But before that happens, what might we learn from the past? David joins others in wondering why humanity seems so content leaving contact off-planet in the hands of the military and resource extractors. Check out the article here.
A Borderland Methodology
In this scholarly essay, David develops a flexible explication of borderland methodology, demonstrating practical applications of Anzaldúa’s theories on scholarly research. The author reflects on how he learned he learned to create methods organically, and considers the impact that Gloria Anzaldúa’s theories have made across many disciplines, particularly in his own research with an Indigenous community living on both sides of an international border.