Justin Tetrault

Contact

Assistant Professor, Augustana - Social Sciences

Email: jtetraul@ualberta.ca

Address: AU F 1-305 Faith & Life Centre
4901-46 Ave

Camrose AB

T4V 2R3

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Social Movements Race and Indigeneity Nationalism Decolonization Hate and extremism Prisons Qualitative Methods Political theory

About

My interests concern a range of topics, especially political movements and extremism, decolonization, and prisons and re-entry. I currently have two research projects. The first is my work on the University of Alberta Prison Project as part of the Centre for Criminological Research. Our research team interviews incarcerated people and staff about their experiences living and working inside prisons. I have written on racism and prison gangs, Indigenous peoples' experiences with cultural programming, and am currently studying re-entry experiences and healing lodges, respectively. My second project examines right-wing nationalism and its relationship to mainstream culture in Canada, focusing on nationalist and populist groups. From this work, I have published on "mainstreaming" of the far-right, the sociology of hate, the problems with "extremism studies", and unhoused Indigenous people's experiences with hate crime. I am also Red River Métis and serve as chair of Augustana's Indigenous Collective, which organizes Indigenous initiatives and events and furthers our Indigenous studies program.

Teaching

Teaching Areas

Sociology

Criminology

Social Movements

Extremism and Terrorism

Indigenous Studies

Race and Racism

Qualitative Methods

Courses at Augustana

AUIND 300: Indigenous Research Methods and Restorative Justice

AUCRI 450: Sociology of Prisons

AUSOC 236: Qualitative Methods

AUIND 101: Introduction to Indigenous Studies

AUCRI 350: Race, Racism & Crime

AUSOC 101: Introduction to Sociology: Principles and Practice

Courses

AUCRI 450 - Sociology of Prisons

An introduction to the history, politics, and consequences of incarceration in North America and abroad. The course will examine why and how people were punished in the past, the reasons and methods for punishment in modern society, and how incarcerated people and those released back into society experience punishment. Prerequisite: AUCRI 160 or AUIDS 160 (2020).

Winter Term 2026

AUIND 101 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies

An introduction to historical and modern relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This course investigates how Canada's history of anti-Indigenous policies (such as residential schools and the Sixties Scoop) have negatively impacted First Nations, Métis, and Inuit into the present. The course further highlights the resilience of Indigenous peoples through community organization, artistic and cultural expression, and the fight for self-determination. Note: Credit may be obtained for only one of AUIND 101 and AUIND 201 (2023).

Winter Term 2026

AUSOC 236 - Research Design and Qualitative Methods

Examination of the relation between the method of inquiry and the problem which inquiry addresses. It is designed to acquaint students with numerous approaches to social research, covering all phases of the research process including formulation of a research problem, design of instruments, collection of data and analysis of results. Particular attention is given to qualitative methods, including interviewing, observation, focus groups, and unobtrusive measures. Students will be expected to conduct original research assignments. Prerequisite: One of AUSOC 101, 103, 105.

Fall Term 2025

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Scholarly Activities

Admin - Indigenous Engagement Advisory Committee

Started: 2021-11-01

The Committee is meant to advise the Dean, as well as all members of the campus, in their decisions when they affect Indigenous students and communities. It also hopes to serve as a bridge between the campus community and neighbouring First Nations and Métis communities.

Research - The Intersecting Institutions of Criminal Justice and Injustice

2022-06-16 to 2029-06-01

This 7-year project will examine how intersecting criminal justice institutions contribute to marginalization and make recommendations for changes to the system.

Partnership grant funds national research aimed at reforming Canada’s justice system

Research - University of Alberta Prison Project

Started: 2016-10-01

The UAPP is a multi-year, multi-method study of life experiences inside Western Canadian prisons, consisting of qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, and ethnographic observation. The goal of the University of Alberta Prison Project is to collect base-line data on life experiences of Canadian prisoners and staff and utilize our findings for evidence-based changes.

Centre for Criminological Research

Featured Publications

How Liberalism Accommodates Far-right Social Movements: On “Mainstreaming” and the Need for Critical Theory in Far-right Studies

Justin E C Tetrault

Social Forces. 2024 October; 10.1093/sf/soae147

Thinking Beyond Extremism: A Critique of Counterterrorism Research on Right-Wing Nationalist and Far-Right Social Movements

Justin EC Tetrault

British Journal of Criminology. 2021 July;

View additional publications