Gail Guthrie Valaskakis
Gail Guthrie Valaskakis (1939-2007) was a media studies scholar who taught in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University, where she also served as Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (1992-1997).[1] After leaving Concordia, Valaskakis served as Director of Research at the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in Ottawa.
Personal Life
Valaskakis was raised on the Lac du Flambeau First Nation, Wisconsin to Chippewa and Dutch-American parents. As a child Gail attended a united states Indian school. She identified as an indigenous person throughout her life.[2] She had two children Pais and Ion.
She received her Master's of Arts in Theater Arts from Cornell University. She completed her PhD dissertation entitled "A communicational analysis of Eskimo-Kabloona interaction patterns: Southern Baffin, Eastern Arctic" at McGill University in 1979.[1]
Gail passed away in Ottawa on 2007July 19.[2]
Career
Gail was one of the founders of Manitou College, the first Indigenous post-secondary institution in eastern Canada.[1] She was also involved in the establishment of the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal and the Waseskun House.[3]
Gail worked at Concordia university from 1968 to 1998, primarily in the Department of Communication Studies.[2] During her academic career at Concordia University Gail held numerous administration positions including: Department of Communication Studies chair (1983-1985), Faculty of Arts and Science vice-dean (1985-1990), and Faculty of Arts and Science dean (1992-1997).[4] While at Concordia Gail was also responsible for the establishment of the Native Education Centre on campus and was involved in the establishment of the Inter-University Joint Doctoral Programme in Communications with the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Université de Montréal. She retired from Concordia in 1998.[1]
In 2000 Valaskakis was hired as the research director of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.[2]
Bibliography
- Healing Traditions: The Mental Health of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, edited by Laurence J. Kirmayer and Gail Guthrie Valaskakis. UBC Press, 2009
- Eric Guimond, Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, Madeleine Dion Stout, eds. Restoring the Balance: First Nations Women, Community and Culture. University of Manitoba Press, 2009.
- Gail Guthrie Valaskakis. Indian Country: Essays on Contemporary Native Culture. Wilfrid Laurier Press, 2005.
- Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, Marilyn Burgess, Rebecca Belmore. Indian Princesses and Cow-Girls: Stereotypes from the Frontier. OBORO, 1995.
- "The other side of empire: Contact and communication in Southern Baffin Island." In W. Melody, L. Salter, & P. Heyer (Eds.), Culture, communication and dependency: The tradition of H. A. Innis, 1981.
Awards
- National Aboriginal Achievement Award, Media and Communications (2002)[5]
- Honorary doctorate, University of Ottawa (2005)[6]
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 Roth, Lorna. "In Memory of Gail Guthrie Valaskakis 1939–2007: A Personal View" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Communication. 32. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "In Memoriam". Concordia University. September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Gail Guthrie Valaskakis". Indspire. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, Chippewa, 1939-2007". Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ↑ Black, Barbara (March 14, 2002). "Gail Valaskakis wins Aboriginal Achievement Award". Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Gail Guthrie VALASKAKIS". University of Ottawa. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
External links
- "In Memoriam Dr. Gail Guthrie Valaskakis (1939-2007)," Journal of Aboriginal Health vol. 4 issue 1 (2008)