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For Immediate Release

 

Contact: 

 

Eric Davis, Marketing & Communications Director

505.424.2351, or eric.davis@iaia.edu 

Dr. Porter Swentzell, Chair, Indigenous Liberal Studies

505.424.5795, or pswentzell@iaia.edu

 

Fulbright Scholar Miguel Reyes Contreras to Teach at IAIA for Two Semesters As Part of Exchange Program With Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México (UIEM)


Santa Fe: October 16, 2018.

Recently, The Institute of American Indian Arts  (IAIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México (UIEM) of San Felipe del Progreso, State of Mexico, Republic of Mexico. Under the MOU, students from UIEM will be able to participate in semester long exchanges at IAIA while IAIA students will be able to study at UIEM. In addition, the agreement provides for semester-long faculty exchanges and other faculty collaborative projects. Since 2012, IAIA and UIEM have informally organized short-term visits and exchanges prior to the signing of this MOU. IAIA students have previously participated in the UIEM International Student Mobility Partnership on Cultural Diversity, which brings students from Malaysia, IAIA, and Canada together for 3 weeks in the summer; and UIEM faculty have visited IAIA for technical assistance for their arts program design.

The first faculty member to teach at IAIA as part of this exchange program is Miguel Reyes Contreras. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language (Linguistics, Teaching and Translation); and an Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM). He has also completed a Diploma course in Discourse Analysis. Although he doesn't have a background in the arts, he's been the interpreter for the IAIA students who have studied at UIEM over the past 3 years, and that led him to apply for this program.


Miguel Reyes Contreras


Contreras is Mazahua - one of the indigenous groups of people of Central Mexico. Although not a native speaker, Contreras studies the language and culture of the Mazahua people. Finding a "Connection between what I've been doing at UIEM and what is done at IAIA," drove his interest in applying, remarked Contreras. "Discovering connections between linguistics and art."


UIEM

He's been teaching since 2004 - everything from kindergarten to postgraduates. He has studied languages since 1998, including French, English, and Japanese. His primary subjects to teach are language, literature, history, linguistics, research, and translation. At Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México (UIEM), he's a full-time researcher and Professor in the areas of Teaching, Translation, and Academic Research. He's a member of the research faculty "Las lenguas otomianas y su relación con otras culturas," and is also on faculty at the state university UAEM, and is involved in research projects there. His interest in languages has been with him since he was a child. At UIEM he also leads La Cocina del Alma (the Soul Café), a group of students who promote reading in communities and schools. "Studying languages opens your mind," according to Contreras. After his studies in English, French and Japanese, he began studying indigenous languages. Through this he saw the connection between what he does in Mexico and what is done at IAIA. Since IAIA usually has students from about 100 tribes and indigenous cultures during any given semester, he's hoping to have the opportunity to work with languages that he wouldn't be able to access in Mexico. While at IAIA he'll be teaching Spanish Language and Mexican Culture.


La Cocina del Ama Staff

One of his key objectives while he's here is to be able to bring back to UIEM knowledge about the way that IAIA works with their students and the community that has been created here. He is also looking to discover an interdisciplinary connection between his linguistic and cultural research and the artistic work developed at IAIA. "UIEM has been in existence for only 14 years, and IAIA has been around for over 50 years, so if we use this metaphor, we are 'listening to the elders' in terms of culture, language, and art."
 
Contreras hopes to bring to IAIA a renewed interest in language. He's researching a collection of sayings, proverbs, and stories from indigenous languages. "Especially proverbs," he says, "Because they reflect not only the values of the community, but also the way the language is structured." He is also interested in exploring the historical connection between indigenous people of Mexico and those of New Mexico by looking at some of the names of people and names of settlements that are common to both New Mexico and the Aztec culture. "Names," Contreras believes, "can help to gather much information about history and linguistic development." Furthermore he plans to research the bi-lingual landscape of new Mexico and the specific type of Spanish that is spoken locally and the convivence with Native languages.


UIEM Students

He arrived at IAIA in August to begin a research and teaching program as part of his Fulbright-García Robles COMEXUS Scholarship. At IAIA he'll be doing research in the areas of Onomastics, Phraseology, and Educational Research. The Fulbright Scholarship program exists specifically for educators and others who are interested in the exchange of cultural studies between countries.
 
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. Roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals. Approximately 370,000 "Fulbrighters" have participated in the Program since its inception in 1946.

The program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under policy guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) and in cooperation with a number of private organizations.
 
Dr. Porter Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Chair of the Indigenous Liberal Studies Department at IAIA is Miguel's supervisor, and part of the team that worked on the original MOU. He feels that " We are very fortunate to have Miguel as a visiting Fulbright Scholar at IAIA. He brings a unique perspective to our classes and his knowledge of linguistics has created opportunities for dialogue between our communities. It is a privilege to have a scholar of his standing in our classrooms and at our institute."

IAIA President, Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee), remarked that "Miguel's presence as a Fulbright Scholar is the result of a long-term commitment by UIEM and IAIA to work toward implementing a formal exchange program that enhances the education and experiences of both our students and faculty". 

To interview Miguel, please contact Eric Davis at 505.424.2351, or eric.davis@iaia.edu.


 
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Offering undergraduate degrees in Studio Arts, Creative Writing, Cinematic Arts and Technology, Indigenous Liberal Studies, and Museum Studies -- a minor in Performing Arts -- an MFA in Creative Writing -- along with certificates in Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History -- IAIA is the only college in the nation dedicated to the study of contemporary Native arts. The school serves 517 full time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native American college students from across the globe.  IAIA is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission -- and is the only college in New Mexico accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. 
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