The BCcampus Research Fellows program provides support for B.C. post-secondary educators to conduct research on improving student learning and to share their results and experiences with peers in B.C. and beyond.
Project Lead/Fellow: Christine Webster
Institution: University of Victoria
Project Title: Exploring Pathways for Mobilizing Nuu-chah-nulth Leadership Knowledge in Higher Education
Research Focus: Building off her SSHRC-funded doctoral dissertation, (2025), this project explores how Nuu-chah-nulth leadership teachings can be mobilized in post-secondary education. In collaboration with Nuu-chah-nulth knowledge carriers and Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, administrators, and students, it will co-develop strategies for respectfully integrating these teachings into curricula and learning environments. The goal is to advance transformative, culturally grounded education that honours Nuu-chah-nulth ways of knowing while contributing to broader efforts in decolonization and Indigenization across higher education.
Biography: Christine is a Nuu-chah-nulth scholar from the Ahousaht Nation. Her research focuses on weaving Indigenous knowledge systems within the fields of leadership and education. Recognizing the complexities of navigating both Indigenous and Western worldviews, Christine’s work explores the intersections of Indigenous and Western leadership theories and examines education as a vital pathway for reclamation, decolonization, and reconciliation.
Christine’s research also investigates the application of Indigenizing and decolonizing methodologies, prioritizing community-driven and culturally-rooted approaches to knowledge creation and dissemination. Through this work, she aims to contribute to the development of more inclusive, ethical, and culturally sensitive research practices that center Indigenous perspectives, while fostering cross-cultural understanding and mutual respect.