Chris Greencorn is a second-year PhD student in the Department of History at Queen’s University. His research interests lie at the juncture of social & cultural history, ethnomusicology, folklore studies, and archival studies
Chris’ dissertation, supervised by Dr. Lisa Pasolli, will examine the work of women folk culture collectors in 20th-century Canada, and in particular their constructions of “folk" and "traditional music” among settler, immigrant, and Indigenous peoples in the period leading up to Canada’s official multiculturalism policy. His SSHRC-supported MA research at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music focused on collector Helen Creighton's work in African Nova Scotian communities.
His professional background is in the music industry. Chris was Artistic Director (curator) of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia (2018-20), sits on the Board of Directors of Folk Music Ontario, and juries industry awards in several regions.
Chris is a D. W. Stewart Graduate Fellow and the Roger Graham Fellow in Modern Canadian History in 2023-24. He was the Arthur & Evelyn Lower Graduate Fellow in Canadian History as well as a Duncan & Urlla Carmichael Fellow for 2022-23.
Publications
“'We Are Building a Social Revolution': Reflections on Part Two of Curating for Change," response to Buchanan Postdoctoral Fellow Eric Fillion's Music Festivals: Histories & Futures conference (November 28, 2022). Link to response.
"Society in Its Subjunctive Mood: Reflections on Part One of Curating for Change: The Work Music Festivals Do in the World" (October 3, 2022). Link to response.
“Sankofa Songs, A Legacy of Roots and Rhythm: African Nova Scotian Songs from the Collection of Dr. Helen Creighton,” sound recording review, MUSICultures 48 (2021): 400-403. Link to review.
Founding editor, The Killick, undergraduate history student journal, St. Francis Xavier University.