Tuesday, December 15, 2026 | Virtual Event

What does it mean to be Native American or Mexican American, and how have these identities been shaped by history, law, and the relationships between communities?

Join the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) for a virtual conversation with Dr. Jedediah H. Kuhn, author of Traces of Intimacy: Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and the Borderlands of Race.

From the California Gold Rush to the era of mass incarceration, understandings of racial identity have evolved in ways that carry profound legal, political, and civil rights implications. Focusing on the borderlands of California and Nevada, Dr. Kuhn explores the deeply intertwined histories of Native Americans and Mexican Americans, revealing how these communities have navigated shifting racial boundaries while living alongside one another as family members, friends, neighbors, and sometimes rivals.

Drawing on historical archives and cultural texts, Traces of Intimacy examines how Native American and Mexican American communities have both embraced and distanced themselves from their shared histories and connections as strategies for navigating colonization, discrimination, and changing legal and social structures.

For many Mexican Americans, the relationship between Native American and Mexican American identity is not simply a question of history, but also one of family, ancestry, culture, and personal identity. This conversation offers an opportunity to explore those connections while considering how racial categories are constructed, how they shape access to rights and recognition, and why understanding our intertwined histories matters today.

As always, this virtual MACRI Talk is free and will stream live on Facebook at https://bit.ly/FB-MACRI & YouTube at https://bit.ly/YT-MACRI at 6PM Central Time. Just click on your preferred site to join the presentation at 6PM CT!

NOTE: Views and ideas shared by our presenters do not necessarily reflect those of the MACRI, its staff, or funders.

About our guest:

Jedediah Kuhn is an assistant professor of history at the University of Rochester. His research and teaching explore race, indigeneity, gender, and sexuality in the American West with a focus on Native American and Mexican American history. His work has appeared in the journals American Studies and Ethnic Studies Review. His book, Traces of Intimacy: Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and the Borderlands of Race (University of California, 2026), examines the long history of everyday relationships between Native Americans and Mexican Americans in Nevada and California from the nineteenth century to the recent past and what they reveal about the boundaries of race and indigeneity.

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MACRI’s programs are funded in part by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, Bexar County, and individual donors like you! Gracias!