Jack D. Forbes
Encyclopedia
Jack D. Forbes was a Native-American writer, scholar and political activist. He is best known for his book, Columbus and Other Cannibals, which has become a primary text of the Anti-civilization Movement.
, of Powhatan-Renapé
and Lenape
descent. He was raised in neighboring El Monte
and Eagle Rock, where he began his writing career at the high school newspaper. He received his Bachelors degree from the University of Southern California
in 1953, going on to a Masters in 1955 and a PhD. in 1959. In the early 1960s, he became one of the first participants and organizers in the Native American movement. He has been a visiting Fulbright Professor
at the University of Warwick
in England, where he also spent time at Oxford and the University of Essex
. Additionally, he has held the Tinbergen Chair
at the Erasmus University
of Rotterdam.
He was professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis
, where he formerly chaired the Native American studies program. He founded the now defunct Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl University
, as well as many Native American studies
programs at established universities.
Life and career
Jack D. Forbes was born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, of Powhatan-Renapé
Powhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
and Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
descent. He was raised in neighboring El Monte
El Monte, California
El Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
and Eagle Rock, where he began his writing career at the high school newspaper. He received his Bachelors degree from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1953, going on to a Masters in 1955 and a PhD. in 1959. In the early 1960s, he became one of the first participants and organizers in the Native American movement. He has been a visiting Fulbright Professor
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
in England, where he also spent time at Oxford and the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
. Additionally, he has held the Tinbergen Chair
Jan Tinbergen
Jan Tinbergen , was a Dutch economist. He was awarded the first Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1969, which he shared with Ragnar Frisch for having developed and applied dynamic models for the analysis of economic processes...
at the Erasmus University
Erasmus University
Erasmus University Rotterdam is a university in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th century humanist and theologian...
of Rotterdam.
He was professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, where he formerly chaired the Native American studies program. He founded the now defunct Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl University
D-Q University
D–Q University was a two-year college located on Road 31 in Yolo County, west of State Route 113 in California. The school ended its full time college schedule due to loss of accreditation, declining enrollment, and alleged financial mismanagement in 2005; however students and instructors who...
, as well as many Native American studies
Native American Studies
Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...
programs at established universities.
Awards and Honors
- Before Columbus FoundationBefore Columbus FoundationThe Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, Victor Hernández Cruz, Shawn Wong and Rudolfo Anaya to be "a multi-ethnic organizing dedicated to promoting a pan-cultural view of America," especially through the promotion of multicultural writers.One of...
: American Book Award for Lifetime Achievement (1997) - Wordcraft Circle: Writer of the Year (Prose - Non-Fiction) award (1999)
Books
- Columbus and Other Cannibals, Seven Stories Press (2008) ISBN 1-58322-781-4
- The American Discovery of Europe, University of Illinois Press (2007) ISBN 0-252-03152-0
- Only Approved Indians: Stories, University of Oklahoma Press (1995) ISBN 0-8061-2699-X
- Apache, Navaho and Spaniard, University of Oklahaoma Press (1994) ISBN 0-8061-2686-8
- Africans and Native Americans (1993) ISBN 0-252-06321-X
See also
- Anarcho-primitivismAnarcho-primitivismAnarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization. According to anarcho-primitivism, the shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural subsistence gave rise to social stratification, coercion, and alienation...
- Derrick JensenDerrick JensenDerrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. Jensen has published several books questioning and critiquing modern civilization and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S...
- John ZerzanJohn ZerzanJohn Zerzan is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author. His works criticize agricultural civilization as inherently oppressive, and advocate drawing upon the ways of life of prehistoric humans as an inspiration for what a free society should look like...
- Chellis GlendinningChellis GlendinningChellis Glendinning is a European-American author of creative nonfiction, licensed psychotherapist, and political activist. She is noted as a pioneer in the field of ecopsychology, a proponent of land-based culture, and a critic of technological society, having worked with such contemporaries as...