Education
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A., Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Research Interests
Native American literature, Robert Frost and his poetry, American studies, “The Diary of the Reverend Oscar Elmer” (first clergy in Moorhead and Fargo), and literary theory/philosophy
Recent Projects and Achievements
As an emeritus-in-residence, Dr. Postema will be transcribing oral histories of leaders in the local Native American community. These were recorded as part of work done with the support of a $5 million, nine-school grant from the Mellon Foundation titled “Crafting Democratic Futures.” The grant is focused on reparations at the local level for past and present social injustices. Concordia’s team is working with the Fargo-Moorhead Native American community to ameliorate the problems of intergenerational trauma caused by enforced attendance at boarding schools—institutions that were intended to wipe out Native cultures.