Community-Based Research: At the Intersections of Race and Indigeneity

This webinar was sponsored by the Canadian Sociological Association’s Student Concerns Subcommittee.

In collaboration with the University of Calgary’s Sociology Graduate Student Caucus, the third discussion in our series invites researchers engaged in community-based research at the intersections of race and indigenity to share their teachings and learnings around project design, collaboration, implementation, funding, evaluation, and continuing social action.

Recorded session not available

Panellists:

Alexandra Nychuk, B.Sc., ATC, MDP
PhD Student in Health, Aging, and Society, at McMaster University

Alexandra Nychuk (she/her) is Michif and a Citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation with family ties to the Fort Ellice area; her family names are Fleury, Peppin, Tanner, and Fiddler. Alexandra was born and raised in Treaty One Territory and is a member of the Bison Local. She is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Health, Aging & Society at McMaster University. Drawing on Alexandra’s lived experience as a caregiver, her PhD research seeks to understand how colonization impacts Red River Métis health by exploring the connection between identity and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Alexandra uses an arts-based method, Body Mapping, whereby participants create body maps to help them tell their stories, centring a relational understanding of health. She is also an evaluation Assistant at the National Consortium on Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME) and a research assistant on the SSHRC-funded digital storytelling project that explores the relationship between Métis identity, health, and well-being. Alexandra is the current lead on the STEM Fellowship Indigenous Advisory Circle and McMaster Indigenous Graduate Students (MIGS) Chair.

Sonia Hill
Indigenous Sustenance Reclamation Network (ISRN)

Sonia Hill is Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) and Lebanese with family ties to Six Nations of the Grand River territory and Beirut. Sonia’s pronouns are they/them. They were born and raised in Ohronwakon (the place in the ravine/ditch, Hamilton, Ontario). Sonia is the co-director of the Indigenous Sustenance Reclamation Network and program founder/coordinator for Kahnekanoron. They are currently completing an MA in Sociology at McMaster University and working as a teaching assistant for the sociology and Indigenous Studies departments. Sonia is a proud member of CUPE local 3906, where they co-chair the Indigenous Solidarity Working Group and the Prisoner Workers Solidarity Working Group.