Keith Carlson

New Researcher Award - Spring 2012

The New Researcher Award recognizes a faculty member's contribution to scholarship through creation, expansion, and critique of knowledge. Keith Carlson, a professor in the Department of History, is the 2012 recipient.

Since earning his Ph.D. in 2003 from the University of British Columbia, Prof. Carlson has gained a stellar national and international reputation for his ground-breaking research in the history of Native-newcomer relations.

Prior to coming to the University of Saskatchewan, Prof. Carlson spent nine years working as a community historian for the Stó:lō Nation in British Columbia. This experience provided him with valuable insight into Indigenous communities and ways of knowing, and has allowed Prof. Carlson to develop new and innovative methodologies for conducting research in Native-newcomer history. While his early research focused on the Coast Salish peoples, his research interests have since expanded to include the Métis of Northwest Saskatchewan. Prof. Carlson's work has had significant impact on Indigenous communities and he has demonstrated an admirable commitment to connecting his research to broader audiences outside of academia. His research into the murder of a Stó:lō youth by non-Natives from the U.S. in 1886 led to his involvement with a documentary, The Lynching of Louie Sam. In response to Prof. Carlson's work, Washington State initiated a reconciliation process with Louie Sam's community. In 2007, the work of Prof. Carlson and his graduate students on Saskatchewan Métis was used for an exhibit at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre entitled West Side Stories: The Métis of Northwest Saskatchewan.

Prof. Carlson has received numerous awards and honours for his work. His recent book The Power of Place, The Problem of Time: Aboriginal Identity and Historical Consciousness in the Cauldron of Colonialism received the Clio Prize for Best History in B.C. Region and the Aboriginal History Prize from the Canadian Historical Association. The significance of his earlier work, A Stó:lō -Coast Salish Historical Atlas, was recognized with a B.C. Book Prize, the City of Vancouver Book Prize, a Chilliwack Heritage Society Award, and an Outstanding Academic Publication Award from Choice Library. Prof. Carlson was also recognized by the Lieutenant-Governor of B.C. for his "contribution to producing meaningful history about British Columbia," relating to his work on the documentary "The Lynching of Louie Sam."

Prof. Carlson has authored five books and 33 chapters in books, in addition to editing or co-editing six books and special issues, and has also published numerous review articles, papers in refereed journals, technical reports, and book reviews. He is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Culture and Creativity and is currently involved in creating a Centre for the Study of Indigenous Historical Consciousness and Voice.