Welcome to Dr. Rebecca Hall

The Department of Global Development Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University is happy to announce the appointment of Dr. Rebecca Hall as the Assistant Professor in the field of The Political Economy of Extraction and Development effective July 1, 2018. Rebecca Hall holds a PhD in Political Science from York University and takes a feminist political economy approach to questions related to resource extraction and community development, Indigenous/Canadian State relations, decolonizing methodologies, and gender-based violence.

Dr. Hall’s scholarly publications have examined multiple sites of contemporary de/colonizing struggle in Canada, including resource extraction, property relations, caring labours, and interpersonal violence. Her dissertation, awarded the Mary McEwan Memorial Award for feminist research, examines the impact of the northern diamond mining industry on Indigenous women. Dr. Hall’s research interests come out of her community work in the Northwest Territories, and she is grateful to the workers at The Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories and to the communities in and around Yellowknife for their teachings and their generosity.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, Dr. Hall will be teaching, DEVS 220 (Topics in Aboriginal Studies), DEVS 392 (The Political Economy of Resource Extraction) and DEVS 803 (Research Methods).

Creating Counter-Narratives in Spaces of Privilege

Special report back from DEVS third year student Kelsey Sleep Jennings who has been working for the past term as an Intern for the City of Kingston with QUIP

My QUIP internship with the City of Kingston’s Cultural Heritage Department has taught me a lot about how to transfer my DEVS knowledge into real-life situations. Starting in September of 2017, I began my internship as a Digital Research intern; something you likely would not associate with a DEVS major, however my role soon shifted as I was thrust into conversations surrounding Sir John A. Macdonald and his legacy within Kingston. Although I was not employed due to my knowledge as a DEVS major it turned out to be a huge asset to my department and ongoing conversations of developing counter-narratives.

Working alongside the City Curator and Collections Technician we often discussed the divide that the Sir John A. legacy made in Kingston; Some viewing him in a heroic light, others understandably frustrated with his legacies of treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. I was fortunate enough to be able to work alongside Kingston’s reconciliation process which included creating strong counter-narratives to help build a deep understanding of the complexities of the city itself. Creating a counter-narrative means that instead of “erasing history” as argued by many proponents of presenting the Sir John A. Legacy in Kingston, we would be creating alternative narratives which fall along the same timeline, yet reveal the reality of life for other demographics in the city. The majority of counter narrating that we have undertaken surrounds the Sir John A. Legacy and the livelihoods of Indigenous people in Canada.

One thing that students can look forward to seeing very soon is counter-narratives popping up in perhaps one of the largest spaces of privilege in Kingston; City Hall. With items brought forth by Indigenous community members, exhibits are being curated that will put on display one aspect of the Indigenous experience in Kingston through the use of traditional Cradle Boards. Creating these counter-narratives are vital to creating a Kingston that is accessible and addresses its past failures. It is completely okay that we acknowledge that Sir John A. did significant things to create the Canada we see today. However, it is not okay to ignore the other timelines that existed and it is certainly not okay to fail to address the horrific treatment of Indigenous people under Sir John A. Macdonald’s power. Creating counter-narratives has proven to be an effective way to be sure to address these colonial pasts while attempting to decolonize spaces of privilege and authority while bringing light to the realities of Kingston’s history. 

Students answer the prime minister’s reconciliation challenge

A joint class of Arts and Science students examined the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and settler communities through a social justice exposition.ther topics explored by the joint class include "The Monstrous Other" in pop culture - demonstrating unfair portrayals of, among others, Indigenous Peoples.hohahoken (Michael Doxtater) and student Cosimo Morin (Artsci'18) lead the joint class in an Indigenous song the class rehearsed in anticipation of the event.

Students in a Global Development Studies course and a Languages, Literatures, and Cultures course have come together to spark a dialogue around the issues identified in the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report.

Under the guidance of Thohahoken (Michael Doxtater), Queen's National Scholar in Indigenous Studies: Land- and Language-Based Pedagogies and Practices, the students have organized the “Treaty Peoples Social Justice Expo”, a poster fair in Stirling Hall. The event was aimed at increasing awareness of Indigenous Peoples issues and honour their cultures and languages. The idea to host a poster fair was Dr. Doxtater’s, as a way to foster his students’ learning while also providing them an opportunity to find topics that relate to their interests.

“The aim was to engage these young people in the prime minister’s challenge to ‘move towards a nation-to-nation relationship based on recognition, rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership’,” says Dr. Doxtater. “I am proud of the students’ efforts, and pleased that we were able to engage two distinct classes in this multidisciplinary look at contemporary Indigenous issues.”

To help create a respectful and inclusive environment, Wednesday’s event opened with greetings from Elder Mishiikenh (Vernon Altiman) of Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre. Then, guests were welcome to explore the room and learn about 13 topics related to the well-being of Indigenous Peoples.

“The poster fair included examinations of issues such as environmental resistance and the impact of development on Indigenous health, incarceration of Indigenous peoples, and even portrayals of Indigenous Peoples in sports,” says Penny Cornwall (Artsci’18), one of the organizers. “My team’s project, Maanamanji’o, focused on suicide and mental health in Pikangikum First Nation – a community with an alarmingly high suicide rate.”

Ms. Cornwall notes one of her peers has a personal connection to the Pikangikum community, and this student’s passion led the team to explore that topic.

Dr. Doxtater was hired in 2017 as part of the Principal’s faculty renewal efforts. He is a Queen’s National Scholar cross-appointed to the Departments of Global Development Studies and Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Learn more about Dr. Doxtater here.

Congratulations to Dr. Reena Kukreja

The department of Global Development Studies congratulates Dr. Reena Kukreja for her successful application to the Scholarly Research and Creative Work Fund for the project entitled "Love, Longing, And Desire: Exploring The Crisis Of Masculinity And Family (Re)Formation Of Undocumented South Asian Male Migrants In Greece".

Reena’s research focuses on undocumented South Asian male migrants from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in Greece. She examines the intersections of displacement-induced migration with anti-immigrant and Islamophobic discourses, securitization of citizenship through border controls and deportation, and the role of class, education, race, nationality, and religion on the masculine identity and aspirations of these undocumented South Asian men. Her study builds on and contributes to theoretical concepts and debates in transnational family migration studies and citizenship rights of undocumented migrants. She is going to use the funding to undertake a preliminary research with undocumented South Asian men working in the informal urban sector in Athens and in agriculture in the rural regions surrounding Argos in Greece.

The Fund for Scholarly Research and Creative Work and Professional Development (Adjuncts), provides support for scholarly and creative work or professional development undertaken by eligible Adjunct Members. For more information relating to this fund, please visit the Faculty Relations website at http://queensu.ca/facultyrelations/faculty-librarians-and-archivists/professional-support-programs/fund-scholarly-research-and-creative