Paulina Johnson, PhD, MA, BA

Area of Study / Keywords

Indigenous Research and Methods Decolonization Indigenization Indigenous Feminism Anti-Racism Colonialism Racism Relationality Reciprocity Settler Relations Treaty Indigenous Law and Governance Trauma Inequality Systemic injustice

About

Hi, I am Dr. Paulina Johnson, Sîpihkokîsikowiskwêw, Blue Sky Woman, and Nêhiyaw, Four-Spirit or Plains Cree. I am a citizen of Nipisihkopahk, Samson Cree Nation, in Maskwacis, AB. I am the daughter of Paul and Luci Johnson and the granddaughter of Chris Johnson, Ginger Wildcat, the late Fred Hodgson, and the late Grace Swampy.

I completed my Ph.D. in Anthropology with Dr. Regna Darnell and Haudenosaunee Scholar Dr. Susan Hill and my M.A. in History at Western University in London, Ontario. I am also an alumna of the University of Alberta, where I completed my B.A. in Anthropology and History with Distinction.

Currently, I am one of the Co-Research Directors at the Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) alongside Dr. Murray Humphries from McGill University. CMN is housed at the U of A and will transition to Braiding Knowledges Canada (BKC) in July 2024, where I will continue with Dr. Humphries to braid Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems together. 

Research

My current research is focused on the importance of Indigenous womxn’s voices and matriarchal resistance to oppressive systems that are embedded in our settler colonial societies and institutions. My forthcoming work details systemic injustices that Indigenous womxn face in colonial institutions, drawing on the experience of my late grandmother. It is also written as a liberation narrative focused on Nehiyaw intellectual traditions and mechanisms of protection and resistance.

My primary focus is on Indigenous research methods and ways of knowing held by Indigenous communities. 

I am currently accepting graduate students for Fall 2025. 

Teaching

I make my classroom reflect my Nehiyaw upbringing by providing my students with story narratives and lived experiences. My Indigenous pedagogies are front and center in my teaching practices as my aim is not only to educate you but to shape you to see the bigger picture and situate yourself in the classroom experience, a fundamental aspect of Indigenous education and methodological practice.

Read my contribution to Electric Marronage titled "To my One Who Sits On the Rainbow" a letter of love to nimosom, my grandfather, on the Second National Day of Truth and Reconciliation: https://www.electricmarronage.com/electricblog/2022/9/30/one-who-sits-on-the-rainbow-a-letter-to?fbclid=IwAR2VOtheBXwr7F2CkWfHS_XwdIjBTVfDWfRnjrLEX1gTaoc3cFlpY8EBu5E

Listen to  "The Auntie Is In" Podcast on Spotify and give us a follow on instagram @the.auntie.is.in! 

SOC 402 - Topics in Sociology

Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of the instructor. Note: Consult the Department for any additional prerequisites. Course may be taken more than once if topic(s) vary.

SOC 503 - Conference Course in Sociology for Graduate Students

WGS 480 - Indigenous Feminisms

Draws on Indigenous theoretical frameworks, epistemologies, community expertise and knowledge to understand Indigenous women's participation in political movements and land and environmental activism. Students are strongly urged to complete 3 units in NS before registering in WGS 480. Prerequisite: Any 100 or 200 level WGS course, or consent of department.

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