Advocacy and Activism

Richard Loder :
I am a sociologist of Delaware descent who specializes in contemporary Native American issues and problems. This has been a personal as well as professional interest of mine for over 35 years.

My research and teaching interests range from Native American movements, law and policy, land claims, gaming and gambling, higher education, and employment issues in the public sector. I continue to focus my research on Native American self-determination and backlash; the Development and the Socio-economic Impact of the Oneida Indian Land Claim in Central New York; and Native American Studies in Higher Education

After completing undergraduate work at Syracuse University (1967, B.A.), I began graduate training in sociology at the University of South Dakota where I became involved with the Institute of Indian Studies and the Doris Duke Oral History Project. After attending USD for two years I returned to Syracuse University as a Ph.D. student.

Upon graduation, I began teaching at the State University of New York, College at Oswego.  I founded the Native American Studies Program there and served as director of that program. While at Oswego I was the recipient of numerous grants which helped to develop the undergraduate curriculum and college wide programming in Native Studies. After retiring from SUNY-Oswego, I joined the Department of Sociology at Syracuse University as a part-time Professor of Sociology.

From 1988 to 1990 I served as a formal consultant to the Commissioner, New York State Department of Civil Service assisting that agency in developing ways to increase the number of Native Americans in the work force.  In 1998, I received the outstanding service award from the Native American Indian Education Association of New York.