She received her PhD in anthropology with a designated emphasis in Native American studies from the University of California at Davis. She is the author of two books, Becoming Indian: The Struggle Over Cherokee Identity in the Twentieth Century (School for Advanced Research, 2011) and Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (University of California Press, 2002). Dr. Sturm research areas include: race, sovereignty, citizenship, comparative colonialisms, race and indignity, dominance, resistance, and subjectivity. She focuses on Native North America, Central America, and Europe.