Janis Thiessen

Janis Thiessen is a Professor in the Department of History at The University of Winnipeg, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts. She specializes in 20th century history with a focus on labour, business, religion, food history, and oral history methodologies.

Her research explores intersections between religious communities (particularly Mennonites) and industrial labour practices, corporate mythology in manufacturing firms, and the cultural dimensions of food. She has conducted extensive oral history projects documenting underrepresented voices in Canadian social and economic history.

Notable publications include Snacks: A Canadian Food History (2017) and Manufacturing Mennonites (2013), which examine corporate and community narratives through interdisciplinary approaches. Her work on Palliser Furniture's industrial relations earned the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award in 2010.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on capitalism history, Canadian history to 1939, and food history. She collaborates with the Oral History Centre and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives like the H. Sanford Riley Centre for Canadian History.