Crystal Fraser, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Indigenous History; the North; Indian Residential Schools; Land and Treaties; Gender and Sexuality

About

Historian • Indigenous Studies Scholar • Author • Advocate

Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser is Gwichyà Gwich’in, originally from Inuvik and Dachan Choo Gèhnjik (Tree River) in the Northwest Territories. She is a historian and Associate Professor in the Department of History, Classics, & Religion and the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Her research, teaching, and community work focus on histories of residential and day schooling in the North, Indigenous childhoods, and relationships between colonialism, education, genocide, and human rights in the 20th and 21st centuries.Dr. Fraser is the awards-winning author of By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (University of Manitoba Press, 2024). Drawing on oral histories, archival research, and community knowledge, the book re-centres the experiences and survivance of Indigenous northerners within a history too often told from the outside. The book received the Clio Prize for the North from the Canadian Historical Association, the Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History Award, and the Best First Book Prize from the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA).

Her forthcoming book, Talk Treaty to Me: Understanding the Basics of Treaties and Land in Canada (HarperCollins, 2025), co-authored with Dr. Sara Komarnisky, invites readers into accessible and relational conversations about land, treaty, and responsibility. The project stems from 150 Acts of Reconciliation, an award-winning initiative published in 2017 during Canada 150, which encouraged everyday acts of learning and accountability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Fraser’s upcoming research continues to explore themes of land, treaties, and relationality in the North, building bridges between academic scholarship and community knowledge to deepen understanding of Indigenous governance and resurgence in northern contexts. Her work is grounded in collaboration with Indigenous communities and organizations across the North, including the Gwich’in Tribal Council Department of Culture and Heritage and the Northwest Territories Recreation and Parks Association. She currently leads several major projects, including How I Survived: Recreation at Indian Day and Residential Schools in the Canadian North—a community-driven initiative combining oral history, podcasting, and archival storytelling. Her research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, and numerous territorial partners.

Beyond her academic work, Dr. Fraser is a committed advocate for truth-telling, accountability, and Indigenous rights. She has served on the Governing Circle for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and was a founding member of the National Advisory Committee on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. Her writing and commentary—featured in The Conversation, CBC, and The Globe and Mail—challenge Canadians to confront colonial legacies and engage meaningfully in reconciliation. Her scholarship and mentorship are shaped by deep ties to family, land, and community. She prioritizes relationships, care, and reciprocity in all aspects of her work.

Dr. Fraser is the recipient of numerous honours, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal, in recognition of her national leadership in truth and reconciliation. Through her research, teaching, and advocacy, she continues to challenge Canadians to reckon with colonial histories—and to imagine more just and relational futures grounded in Indigenous strength, sovereignty, and knowledge.

HIST 462 - Indian Residential Schooling in Canada

Histories of Indian Residential Schools in Canada, with attention to the roles of imperialism, colonialism, and racial ideologies in the implementation and eventual dismantling of the Residential Schools system. Prerequisite: 3 units in HIST at the 300-level or consent of Department.

HIST 662 - Indian Residential Schooling in Canada

Histories of Indian Residential Schools in Canada, with attention to the roles of imperialism, colonialism, and racial ideologies in the implementation and eventual dismantling of the Residential Schools system.

NS 314 - History of First Nations of Western Canada

A survey of the changes in First Nations and European/Canadian relations in western Canada. Emphasis is on First Nations historical perspectives and analyzing events and issues relevant to the various First peoples of western Canada, including treaties and the history and development of reserves. Prerequisites: NS 110, 111 and 240 or 290 or consent of the Faculty.

NS 355 - Indigenous Knowledge and Oral Traditions

This course considers oral traditions as aspects of broader, culturally-defined systems of knowledge, in which stories are vehicles for encoding and transmitting knowledge about the people, their culture, and their history. It focuses on new academic and community-based approaches, as well as the complementarity of oral traditions/Indigenous knowledge and Western science. Students will explore the evolving roles of oral traditions for contemporary Indigenous peoples, including creative expression. Prerequisites: NS 110, 111 and 240 or 290 or consent of the Faculty.

Browse more courses taught by Crystal Fraser

Crystal Gail Fraser and Sara Komarnisky

HarperCollins Canada. 2026 February;

Crystal Gail Fraser

The University of Manitoba Press. 2024 December;