Cody Groat

- Assistant Professor

image of Cody Groat

PhD Candidate
Email: cgroat@uwo.ca 
Telephone: 519-661-2111 ext. 82614
Office: LWH 2224 
Office hours: Mondays, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Website: indigenousheritage.ca

Biography

Cody Groat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and the Indigenous Studies Program. He is Kanyen'kehaka (Mohawk) and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River. His father, William, is a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, and his grandparents, Stanley and Sarah, were survivors of the Mohawk Institute Residential School. He completed a BA in Youth & Children's Studies and History at Wilfrid Laurier University (Brantford campus) in 2016 and an MA in World Heritage Studies from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 2017 through the Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage. His research is focused on Indigenous cultural heritage including the commemoration of Indigenous peoples through municipal, provincial, federal, and international designations. His research is also concerned with access to information and how these policies relate to the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples, touching on records that are held by the federal government, children's aid societies, and local police departments. Outside of Western, Cody serves as the Chair of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Advisory Committee for the Memory of the World Program, responsible for recognizing Canda's most significant collections of documentary heritage collections.

Research Interests

My research relates to both public history and biographical history. I am interested in the commemoration, preservation, and stewardship of Indigenous cultural heritage by provincial, federal, and international bodies; this includes archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, documentary heritage, and cultural items. In regards to biographical history I am interested in access to information as this relates to the lived experience of Indigenous peoples, including records associated with the Sixties Scoop and the Indian Residential School System.

Books, Articles, & Works Published

  • “Holding Place: Resistance, Reframing and Relationally in the Representation of Indigenous History,” with Kim Anderson, Historic Perspectives Dossier on Commemoration for The Canadian Historical Review, 2021, Vol. 102 (03), pp. 465-484.
  • “Commemoration and Reconciliation: The Mohawk Institute as a World Heritage Site,” British Journal of Canadian Studies, 2018, Vol. 31 (2), pp. 195-208.
  • Canadian Stories: A Teenaged Adventure with Presidents, Drag Queens and Drug Lords (Rapido Books, 2016)
  • “Indigenous Peoples and the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme,” Canadian Commission for UNESCO IdeaLabs Policy Paper, forthcoming.

Awards

  • Canadian Historical Association - Indigenous History Best Article Prize (2022), "Holding Place: Resistance, Reframing, and Relationality in the Representation of Indigenous History" with Kim Anderson, Canadian Historical Review
  • SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2019-2021) - $60,000
  • Shortlisted - Viv Nelles Essay Prize (2019), L.R Wilson Institute for Canadian History, “Commemoration and Reconciliation: The Mohawk Institute as a World Heritage Site” British Journal of Canadian Studies

News and Media (Select Appearances)