History Personnel
Teaching - Fall/Winter 2022-23
HIS 3231G - History of Ontario: From Peopling to Present
Supervision
Currently unable to accept any graduate students
Cody Groat
- Assistant Professor
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)
- Global News, "Search of Kenora former residential school site turns up 171 potential grave sites" (January 18, 2023)
- CTV News, "Will the TVDSB rename its schools?" (November 30, 2022)
- CBC London Morning (Rebecca Zandbergen), "TVDSB changing historical names of public schools" (November 30, 2022)
- The London Free Press (Heather Rivers), "Review of Thames Valley school names could extend to British Royals" (November 30, 2022)
- CBC News (Colin Butler), "How an Indigenous voice on London's next city council could makea difference" (October 11, 2022)
- The Gazette (Hannah Alper), "Indigenous Studies Prof Cody Groat on Exploring his Family's Past" (September 30, 2022)
- CTV News, "Truth and Reconcilation Day" (September 29, 2022)
- Western Social Science (Rob Rombouts), "Indigenous Studies course focuses on 'resilience and resistance' (September 26, 2022)
- CTV News (Sean Irvine), "172-year-old home spared from demolition in Oxford County" (August 9, 2022)
- Toronto Today am680 (Greg Brady), "Ontario Education, the Pope's Apology, and Rogers Outage," (July 26, 2022)
- City News (Caryn Ceolin), "'I humbly beg forgiveness:' Pope apologizes for 'evil' of residential schools," (July 26, 2022)
- New York Times (Elisabetta Povoledo), "Indigenous leaders want the Vatican to return their heritage," (July 25, 2022)
- CBC London Morning (Rebecca Zandbergen), "Why collecting human remains is problematic," (June 8, 2022)
- CTV Your Morning (Anne-Marie Mediwake), “Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and Reconciliation,” (June 2, 2022)
- CTV News Channel (Angie Seth), “One Year Since Kamloops Discovery,” (May 23, 2022)
- CTV News Channel (Angie Seth), “Indigenous groups call on Pope to apologize,” (April 2, 2022)
- CTV News Channel (Jennifer Burke), “Indigenous cultural items held by the Vatican,” (March 31, 2022)
- CTV Your Morning (Anne-Marie Mediwake), “Indigenous cultural items held by the Vatican,” (March 31, 2022)
- Zoomer Radio Toronto (Fight Back with Libby Znaimer), “The Vatican has a large collection of Indigenous artifacts in its collection,” (March 30, 2022)
- CTV National News (Creeson Agecoutay), “There were mixed feelings among Indigenous delegates who were shown artifacts from the Vatican’s vault” (March 29, 2022)
- CTV London News (Bryan Bicknell), “Search at Ontario’s Mount Elgin residential school seen as a step towards healing” (October 1, 2021)
- Global News 640 Toronto The Alan Carter Radio Show, “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Western prof offers free public lecture on Canada’s residential school system” (September 30, 2021)
- CTV London News (Gerry Dewan), “Telling a personal story to stress the importance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” (September 29, 2021)
- CBC London Morning (Kate Dubinski), “Understanding Residential Schools and Reconciliation,” (August 18, 2021)
- CBC The Morning Edition Kitchener-Waterloo (Jackie Sharkey), “Understanding Residential Schools and Reconciliation,” (August 18, 2021)
- Vista Radio Stratford, “Understanding Residential Schools and Reconciliation” (August 10, 2021)
- Heather Rivers, “Professor urges Indigenous name for London’s Ryerson Elementary School,” London Free Press (August 2, 2021)
- CBC Radio One Afternoon Drive with Chris dela Torre, “Understanding Residential Schools and Reconciliation” (July 22, 2021)
- Cody Groat, “Our Indigenous cultural heritage has sustained us since time immemorial” The Hill Times (September 28, 2020)