Kristine Alexander

Kristine Alexander is Associate Professor in the History and Religion Department at the University of Lethbridge and holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Child and Youth Studies. She serves as Co-Director of the University of Lethbridge's Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) and was co-editor of Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures from 2016-2019. Her academic career includes a 2017 Visiting Scholar position at Rutgers University-Camden's Department of Childhood Studies.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in History, York University (2010)
• MA in History, York University (2003)
• BA (Honours) in English & History, University of Winnipeg (2002)

A leading scholar in childhood studies, Alexander's research examines the intersections of girlhood, empire, colonialism, and war through historical lenses. Her work emphasizes transnational perspectives, emotional dimensions of historical experience, and Indigenous-settler relations in Canadian contexts. She actively bridges academic and public history through media engagement and community projects focused on youth culture and historical memory.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent thematic threads: colonial violence against Indigenous children, gendered experiences in wartime, transnational youth movements, and the politics of historical memory. Her scholarship increasingly incorporates collaborative methodologies with Indigenous communities and examines how historical narratives inform contemporary social justice movements.

Her major accolades include:

• Wilson Book Prize (2017)
• Canadian History of Education Association Founders' Prize for Best English-Language Book (2017)
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Child and Youth Studies

Alexander supervises undergraduate and graduate students in history of childhood/youth, imperial/transnational history, Canadian social/cultural history, and gender history. Her funded projects include the Canada 150-supported Raising Spirit Project and the Translating Encounters initiative connecting Indigenous youth with higher education through transmedia storytelling.

She leads the Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), which fosters interdisciplinary research on young people's experiences across historical and cultural contexts. Her collaborative projects frequently involve partnerships with Indigenous organizations like Opokaa'sin Early Intervention Society and feature community-engaged methodologies.