The launch of a new book, Around the Kitchen Table: Métis Aunties’ Scholarship (University of Manitoba Press), edited by UWinnipeg’s Dr. Laura Forsythe and UCalgary’s Dr. Jennifer Markides, celebrates the scholarship of Métis women.
“Dr. Forsythe and Dr. Markides bring together an interdisciplinary collection highlighting scholarship by new and established Métis women scholars, artists, storytellers, and community leaders across diverse subjects of research,” said Dr. Chantal Fiola, UWinnipeg Interim Associate Vice-President, Indigenous, and a contributing scholar to the book.
Around the Kitchen Table represents a powerful example of the collective wisdom of Métis women and 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Dr. Chantal Fiola
Dr. Forsythe and Dr. Markides recognized a critical need for a Métis-focused scholarship while surveying the field of Indigenous studies. The two scholars brought together work by women, new and established scholars, artists, storytellers, and community leaders that reflects the diversity of research created by Métis women as it is lived, considered, conceptualized, and re-imagined.
Around the Kitchen Table looks beyond the patriarchy to document Métis women and their contributions. The result is an expansive, heartfelt, and accessible community of Métis thought. Reverent and revelatory, this collection centers on the strong aunties and grandmothers who have shaped Métis communities, culture, and identities with teachings shared in classrooms, auditoriums, and around the kitchen table.
“The Métis Nation has not been immune to the influences of colonial patriarchy and the resulting erasure of the voices and experiences of Métis women over the generations, including within academia,” shared Dr. Fiola. “Thankfully, things are changing. Around the Kitchen Table represents a powerful example of the collective wisdom of Métis women and 2SLGBTQ+ people. This book has been a long time coming!”
The launch will be at McNally Robinson Book Sellers on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 7:00 p.m., in the Atrium, and streaming on YouTube.
At the launch, Dr. Forsythe will be joined by a panel of her contributors, including Dr. Fiola and UManitoba’s Dr. Lucy Fowler and Nicki Ferland. They will discuss and celebrate the teachings, scholarship, and research created by Métis women.
Dr. Forsythe and Dr. Fiola are also two of the five Métis women scholar creators and contributors to the new Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Scholars hosted on UWinnipeg’s server, including UWinnipeg’s Dr. Cathy Mattes. This journal highlights Métis scholarship from across the Prairie Provinces with the second issue being released in April 2024.
Dr. Forsythe is a Michif Assistant Professor at The University of Winnipeg in the Faculty of Education. Forsythe’s research focus is Métis-specific contributions to the academy, Métis inclusion efforts, Métis research methodologies, and educational sovereignty. She is also the elected Bison Local Chairperson of the Manitoba Métis Federation, the official democratic and self-governing political representation of the Red River Métis. Her kinship ties include the Huppe, Ward, Berard, Morin, Lavallee, and Cyr lines. Her ancestors worked for the Northwest and Hudson’s Bay Companies, fought in the Victory of Frog Plain, and owned Lot 31, the site of a contemporary Métis space called Pakan Town.
