Alexa Manuel

Alexa Manuel is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. She completed her doctoral studies at UBC in March 2024 and recently joined the department.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of British Columbia (March 2024)

Dr. Manuel's research centers on Indigenous literary theory with a specific focus on Syilx knowledge systems. Her dissertation, "Stories of Lands, Bodies and Dreams: A tmixwcentric Literary Theory," develops a literary framework grounded in Syilx epistemologies. Her scholarly work intersects with Gender and Sexuality Studies, Indigenous Literary and Cultural Studies, and Post/Anti/Decolonial Studies. She examines Syilx literature through authors including Jeannette Armstrong, Mourning Dove, Gerry William, and Harry Robinson, while engaging with broader Indigenous literary traditions including Leanne Simpson, Lee Maracle, Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Joshua Whitehead.

As an educator, Dr. Manuel teaches ENGL_V 231: Introduction to Indigenous Literatures, bringing her expertise in Indigenous literary traditions to undergraduate students. Her teaching emphasizes the connections between land relationships, community, and storytelling within Syilx and other Indigenous contexts.

Affiliations:

• Member of Syilx and St'at'imc nations
• Department of English Language and Literatures, UBC Faculty of Arts