Sovereignty & Publication
Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and a Chicana, is Assistant Professor of Sociology and American Indian Studies at University of California Los Angeles. She describes herself as a sociologist, demographer, data warrior, and relative. She has partnered with Indigenous communities in the U.S. and internationally as a researcher and data advocate for more than ten years.
Desi’s research examines the intersection of race, indigeneity, data, and inequality. With a focus on Indigenous futures, her current research explores the racialization of Indigenous identity and group boundary making, Indigenous population statistics, and data for health and economic justice on Indian Reservations.
Desi directs the Data Warriors Lab, an Indigenous social science laboratory. She is the Co-Founder of the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, which helps ensure that data for and about Indigenous nations and peoples in the U.S. (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians) are utilized to advance Indigenous aspirations for collective and individual wellbeing. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Database.
She is a proud alumna of the University of Arizona (Ph.D. Sociology), University of Waikato (Ph.D. Demography), Stanford University (B.A. and M.A.).
Beyond research, teaching, and advocacy, Desi is in the throes of raising a strong willed 4 year old, enjoys a slow game of pick-up basketball, is on a mission to find the best pie crust recipe, and strives to be a good relative.