Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
Standing Rock: Politics of Place and Protection
This presentation originally took place on Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri.
Dr. Kandice Grossman takes us on a closer look at the Standing Rock movement that occurred in 2016-17 to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and protect the Missouri River. This Indigenous-led political movement resisted the pipeline in the name of water protection, Indigenous sovereignty, protection of sacred burial grounds, treaty rights, climate justice, and more.
Kandice shared the experiences and findings from her doctoral research on the Standing Rock environmental justice movement. Her presentation includes such topics as coalitional relationships to place, identity, and people within the movement, as well as possibilities for future coalition work that seeks to protect the river.
Meet Your Presenter
Kandice Grossman
, PhD
Kandice Grossman is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Truman State University. She recently completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Missouri where she engaged in a statewide qualitative research study that sought to better understand rural Missourians perceptions of health equity. In 2022, she completed her doctoral degree in sociology at MU with research that examined politics of coalition surrounding the 2016-17 Standing Rock environmental justice movement.
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