Abstract: Drawing from her awards-winning book By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (University of Manitoba Press, 2024), Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser will explore the histories and legacies of Indian Residential and Day Schools in northern Canada. Situating community voices, oral histories, and archival sources at the center of her research, Dr. Fraser examines how policies of colonization and assimilation shaped everyday life in the North—and how Indigenous Peoples resisted, adapted, and survived. Her talk highlights the methodological, ethical, and relational dimensions of working with Survivors, while also considering what these histories mean for truth, reconciliation, and the future of Indigenous–settler relations. 

Speaker's Bio: Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser is Gwichyà Gwich’in and of Scottish/English heritage, originally from Inuvik and Dachan Choo Gèhnjik in the Northwest Territories. She is an Associate Professor of History and Indigenous Studies at the University of Alberta and a leading voice on the history of residential and day schools, colonialism, and Indigenous-settler relations in Canada.
Her awards-winning first book, By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (University of Manitoba Press, 2024), has been recognized with multiple national prizes, including the Canadian Historical Association’s Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History and the Clio Prize for the North and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Best First Book prize. She is also the co-author of the forthcoming book Talk Treaty to Me: Understanding the Basics of Treaties and Land in Canada (HarperCollins, 2025).
Dr. Fraser has served on the Governing Circle of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and was a founding member of the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. She is a trusted collaborator with Indigenous governments and Survivors, and is widely recognized for her ability to translate complex histories into accessible and meaningful lessons for organizations beginning their reconciliation journeys.

Room: 7-152 or online on Teams
Teams Link: Register Here
Meeting ID: 211 526 552 481 9 
Passcode: ZS7FB3Hu

Global Friday gratefully acknowledges funding from the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities.