Nancy Van Styvendale

Nancy Van Styvendale is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta. A white settler scholar, she focuses on Indigenous literatures, prison writing, and penal abolition, with commitments to community-engaged education and Indigenous-led anti-colonial initiatives.

• Associate Professor, Faculty of Native Studies (University of Alberta)
• Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Native Studies

Her research spans Indigenous prison writing, penal abolition in Canada, and arts-based programs in carceral spaces. She co-founded Inspired Minds (prison creative writing) and collaborates with Free Lands Free Peoples and the Saskatchewan-Manitoba-Alberta Abolition Coalition (SMAAC). Publications include work in Interdisciplinary Journal of Justice Studies and co-edited collections such as Global Indigenous Health (2018).

Teaching includes courses like NS 360: Indigenous Prison Writing and NS 690: Advanced Indigenous Methodologies, emphasizing skills like discourse analysis and community-based research. She actively recruits graduate students working on Indigenous carceral experiences, abolitionism, and community-driven methodologies.