Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery

Clicking “I agree” can feel harmless until you hear what it echoes. We follow a striking thread from the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius to the digital present, where human attention and behavior are often treated as if they belong to no one, ready to be “discovered” and taken. Our guest, a mixed-heritage settler Mennonite and Taino scholar who teaches AI ethics and policy at Queen’s University, opens with a jarring comparison between colonial “terms of subjugation” and today’s terms ...

The story begins with a mentor called simply “the teacher.” From a first lecture on sky gods to late-night phone calls and a leather coat the color of memory, we trace how Charles H. Long shaped minds through myth, method, and a rare musicality of thought. We share how he taught us to start with a text, a myth, a story—and then keep going until we hit the pre-logos ground where creation actually happens. We unpack three core lessons that still unsettle and inspire. First, creation myths are ...

A celebrated waterway can also be a wound. We open the Erie Canal’s familiar legend and find the story most of us never learned: how a triumph of engineering cut a dam through Haudenosaunee homelands, accelerated dispossession, and rewrote law, faith, and landscape in its wake. With Haudenosaunee leaders and scholars, we move from a condensed Thanksgiving Address into original instructions about water, winds, and the seven generations ethic, then confront the doctrine of Christian discovery—f...

We trace how the Sullivan–Clinton campaign was conceived and executed as a land seizure against the Haudenosaunee, not a simple response to raids. We follow letters, orders, and deals that moved from neutrality to burning villages, then to surveys, the military tract, and the canal. • rewriting the Sullivan–Clinton narrative as a campaign for land • Dunmore’s War as a template for destroying food and homes • Schuyler’s ultimatum ending neutrality at German Flats • propaganda around the Cedar...

Jeannine Hill Fletcher, a theologian trained to interpret religious diversity, arrives at a white, Jesuit university and realizes something unsettling: you can’t do justice work without confronting the white supremacy woven through Christian history, law, and institutional life. That realization sends us down a path that threads together the Doctrine of Discovery, Johnson v. M’Intosh, and the everyday ways theology became policy—on campus, in courts, and across stolen land. We talk with Jeann...

Holly Rine, associate professor of history at Le Moyne College, offers a compelling perspective on teaching the Doctrine of Discovery at a Jesuit institution. With remarkable candor, she shares her own journey from unfamiliarity with this history to becoming an advocate for institutional honesty about colonization's ongoing impacts. The conversation explores how critical examination of historical texts like the Jesuit Relations reveals their propagandistic nature. What many accept as straigh...

This episode explores the vital need for a value change rooted in indigenous perspectives, particularly the teachings of the Haudenosaunee. Listeners are invited to reflect on how our current monetary-driven worldview is unsustainable and how adopting a more relational and respectful way of interacting with the Earth can pave the way for a more sustainable future. Themes • Discussion of the urgency of changing our economic values • Insights from the Haudenosaunee about the interconnectednes...

Uncover the often overlooked yet deeply influential Doctrine of Discovery with us, as we bring political science instructor and former Congressional candidate Steve Schwartzberg to the table. Join us to explore how this doctrine, woven into the fabric of U.S. history, continues to impact Indigenous peoples today. Steve shares his insights, drawing from influential thinkers like Steve Newcomb and Peter Dorico, to expose the historical context and the enduring injustices perpetuated by figures ...

Discover the transformative power of Native American thought and religious studies in our conversation with the esteemed Philip Deloria. Learn about the profound legacy of Vine Deloria Jr., whose influential works like God is Red have shaped the academic and theological landscapes. As we uncover the Deloria family's rich heritage of Indigenous advocacy, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how these experiences have informed their unique contributions to theology and Native American Studies....

Embark on a profound historical exploration with João Chaves, Assistant Professor at Baylor University, as we uncover the lasting effects of the Doctrine of Discovery and its legacy of colonialism, faith, and power struggles in the Americas. Our conversation traverses from the Portuguese conquest and the influx of Confederate exiles post-American Civil War to the development of Brazilian Protestantism. Chaves' expertise illuminates the complexities of property rights and racial hierarchies th...

This week on the podcast, we have Professor Tink Tinker, a luminary in Native American Studies. In this episode, he tells of the heart-wrenching legacy of Christian colonization on Indigenous communities. Our conversation probes deep into the cultural chasm between the collective ethos of American Indian traditions and the individualistic dogma of Christian salvation. As we unravel the tapestry of Native American identities erased by historical forces, we also confront the ongoing struggle to...

Embark on a profound journey through the tapestry of American religious history with Joel Harrison, associate professor of religion, and his sharp students, Jason Armstrong and Christian Oppenhagen. Together, we unravel the complex narratives of civil religion and secularism, with a particular lens on the interplay of race and religion since the colonial era. Our conversation pivots around Joel's innovative teaching methods, as he leverages the January 6th insurrection as a vivid case study i...

Ready to put your culinary curiosity to the test? Brace yourself as we journey through a world where fire and chili are more than just ingredients; they're centuries-old metaphors that have shaped cultural identities. We're joined by our distinguished guest, Victor Valle, the mind behind "The Poetics of Fire: Metaphors of Chili Eating in the Borderlands," to give you a taste of the aesthetics of Mexican cuisine, the metaphors that shape it, and its intriguing genesis. Join us as we go beyond...