Overall, my research interests lie in the area of social justice and the use of arts in community and citizenship education, be it the educational impact of women’s collective resistance, the Raging Grannies’ use of songs and humour in the social and political education of the public, or the use of documentary film festivals as a way to build community and share stories of active communities from around the world with the goal that these stories of struggles and small victories will inspire hope and action.

 

Since arriving at StFX in July 2007, I have been doing research on community-based documentary film festivals as tools for citizenship education and community building. In April 2008 I received a 3-year Standard Research Grant (SSHRC) to continue this work and in 2009 I received a grant from the Adult Learning Knowledge Centre/Canadian Council on Learning (ALKC/CCL) to organize 2 documentary film festivals on Cape Breton Island and write a report about it.

 

My initial research interest was in the area of women’s contributions to social change which led to a doctoral thesis on the Raging Grannies and their use of creativity, songs, and humour to educate the public. During doctoral studies I received a 3-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship and in 2004 this work on the Raging Grannies was published as a book, which was selected for the 2005 Amelia Bloomer Award by the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association. I continue to write and speak about the Raging Grannies. I contributed to a documentary about the French-speaking Raging Grannies with award-winning documentary filmmakers Magnus Isacsson and Martin Duckworth, which was shown as the closing of the Human Rights Film Festival in Montreal and was broadcasted on Canal Vie, a French television network. We are currently working on a documentary on the English-speaking Raging Grannies, which will be ready in 2012.

 

In 2004, I was the recipient of a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship (SSHRC) and while developing and teaching new courses in Canadian Studies/Women’s Studies at Trent University, I worked on a research about older women, environmental activism, and intergenerational contact. During this time I also wrote an article on a local group of older women who produced a calendar for fundraising for the local victims of the severe flood that Peterborough experienced in 2004. During the Postdoctoral Fellowship, I was also associated with a large (75 researchers), interdisciplinary, international research team working on a SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiative, Hidden Costs of Care/Invisible Contributions of Older Adults and People with Disabilities. In 2006, I was granted a 1-year Postdoctoral Fellowship by this team to lead a small research team in the examination of collaboration in an interdisciplinary research team using qualitative research methodologies. We produced a technical report as well as a public exhibition at the Human Ecology Building at the University of Alberta.

 

NATIONAL RESEARCH FUNDING AGENCIES

 

Adult Learning Knowledge Centre/Canadian Council on Learning. ($2,635)

Developed & organized 2 one-day film festivals in Sydney and Inverness, Cape Breton Island . (2009)

 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Standard Research Grant. ($53,000)

Documentary film festivals: Adult learning, citizenship education, and local/global community building. (2008-2011)

 

SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiative, Hidden costs/Invisible contributions Postdoctoral Fellowship. ($40,000)

Exploring research landscapes: Interdisciplinary collaboration. (2006-2007)

 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship. ($75,000)

Canadian Studies Department, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada . Women on the edge of time: Stories of activism from

 elders to women fifty years younger. (2004-2006)

 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship. ($53,100)

PhD Dissertation. The Raging Grannies: Meddlesome crones, humour, daring, and education. University of Toronto (OISE/UT),

Toronto, ON. Through humour and creativity, the Raging Grannies provide a positive example of transforming anger and despair into

 popular education, and they disrupt stereotypes of aging women. A grassroots Canadian phenomena, there are now groups abroad.

 (2000-2003)

 

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FUNDING

 

St. Francis Xavier University

University Research/Publication/Teaching Awards (URPTA) 2011 ($2,200)

University Research/Publication/Teaching Awards (URPTA) 2010 ($2,300)

University Research/Publication/Teaching Awards (URPTA) 2009 ($2,200)

University Research/Publication/Teaching Awards (URPTA) 2008 ($2,600)

University Council for Research (UCR) 2007-2008 ($3,000)

University Grant 2007 ($4,000)

 

Research Assistantship 2001. ($2,000)

Women, learning, and violence. Department of Adult Education, Community Development, and

Counselling Psychology, OISE/UT. (With  Dr. Shahrzad Mojab) 

 

Research Assistantship 2000-2001. ($4,000)

Informal learning in later life- New Approach to Lifelong Learning (NALL). OISE/UT. Community

 outreach to identify potential participants. Interviewed 25 participants between 60 and 94 years old. Transcribed interviews. (With Dr.

 Margaret  Brillinger)

 

Research Assistantship 2000-2001. ($2,000)

Theoretical debate in Adult Education. Department of Adult Education, Community Development, and Counselling Psychology, University

of Toronto.  (With Dr. Shahrzad Mojab)  

 

Ethel Anderson Graduate Award in Adult Education 2000-2001. ($1,800)

Department of Adult Education, Community Development, and Counselling Psychology, University of Toronto.

 

 

University of Toronto Entrance Scholarship 1999-2000. ($10,500)

 

 

Research Assistantship 1999. ($6, 000)

Women's Studies. York University. (Dr. Jane Couchman)

 

York University Entrance Scholarship & Research Assistantship 1997-1998. ($11,000)

Women's Studies. York University. (Dr. Jane Couchman)

 

Fulbright Scholarship Nominee 1997-1998.

 

 

OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING

 

Nova Scotia Ministry of Communities, Culture and Heritage 2011-2012. ($5,000)

Grant to support the Antigonish International Film Festival Outreach Project which includes a film program at the Nova Federal Prison for Women in Truro, NS, as well as a monthly series of documentary films and discussions at the People’s Place, Antigonish.

 

Nova Scotia Ministry of Communities, Culture and Heritage 2011-2012. ($5,000)

Grant to support the Antigonish International Film Festival Youth Outreach Project which includes a 1-day youth film festival during the regular AIFF, a 2-day film festival during spring break, and a filmmaking workshop for youth.

 

Documentary film production (grants in the name of my collaborator) 2005-2009. ($150,000)

I was writer and consultant for the documentary film Super Mémés, with filmmakers Magnus Isacsson and Martin Duckworth. * Grants in Magnus’ name from Canal Vie, Cable Fund, Telefilm, SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles). I collaborated on the conceptualization of the project, identified relevant people, stories, songs, actions. Made contact with individual Grannies. Co-wrote grant application and proposals. I helped with on-location filming.

 

Documentary film production (private funder, grant in my name) (2005). ($8,000)

(Same as above)

 

Ontario Work Program 2004 & 2005. ($3,600)

In 2004 and 2005, I applied to the Ontario Work program, which subsidizes employment for students by paying 75% of their salaries.

 

<< Back to Home