Maamaawisiiwiin Education Research Centre
Leadership
Dr. John Akweniiostha Hodson is of Mohawk descent, turtle clan, and the Director of MERC. Hodson holds advanced degrees from two Ontario universities, has worked in Indigenous community research in Canada as well as internationally for over twenty-years and has published widely. Hodson also received a Social Science and Humanities Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in 2009.
Hodson’s research has focused on describing the trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples participating in formal and informal forms of education. Hodson’s published work has demonstrated that “Indigenous people – children, youth and adults – are often victims in the ongoing epistemic war that rages in all forms of research, education, training, and related programming.”
“As 21st century educators, trainers, program managers, researchers,and service agencies, our challenge is to shift the entirety of our practice to meet the learning needs of Indigenous peoples.”
Nadine Hedican is of Irish-Scottish descent and the MERC Research Coordinator. Hedican has also been involved with the innovative Humanities 101 program at Lakehead University from inception, fourteen years ago. Humanities 101 includes many vulnerable populations and provides a barrier free environment for people from all walks of life, including a significant percentage of Indigenous people, to access higher education.
Hedican has known poverty and the systems that maintain it intimately. Nadine was one of the students in the first Humanities 101 cohort at Lakehead University and acknowledges that experience to be one of the major turning points to leaving the cycle of poverty. Hedican brings that collective personal and professional experience to Maamaawisiiwin research and teacher development.
Our People. The Maamaawisiiwin Education Research Centre has been fortunate to engage with talented individuals over the years. Our growing team of research assistants are adept in multiple research services. We are pleased to offer web development services, SPSS data analysis as well as timely, accurate and culturally responsive transcription practices. Our growing research team is grounded in Indigenous realities and are committed to presenting research findings in the most authentic and respectful ways possible. Please contact us if you would like additional information on our extended services.
