Mason, Courtney

Courtney Mason completed his PhD (2005-2010) at the University of Alberta where he investigated the displacement of Indigenous peoples in the formation of Banff National Park. Along with the history of educational institutions on the reserve, his dissertation focused on colonial power relations and the experiences of Nakoda peoples in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He worked as a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow (2010-2014) with the Indigenous Health Research Group at the University of Ottawa where he contributed to community-based food security and health programs in rural Northern Ontario (Oji-Cree) and the Northwest Territories (Dene and Metis).
He currently is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities at Thompson Rivers University. His SSHRC and Health Canada funded research examines how Indigenous communities negotiate pressing health and education issues in the backdrop of enduring colonial legacies. His collaborative research, with both urban and rural communities, identifies the barriers to and facilitators of local subsistence practices and supports community-driven initiatives that enhance local food security and tourism development, while supporting cultural continuities.