Kristina Fagan Bidwell

Kristina Fagan Bidwell is a Full Professor in the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan, holding a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Storytelling since 2001. She served as the inaugural Associate Dean of Aboriginal Affairs in the College of Arts and Science from 2011 to 2018 and currently serves as President of the Indigenous Literary Studies Association.

Her research program investigates how stories interact across cultural boundaries—between Indigenous communities and between Indigenous and settler communities—with particular focus on how narratives create meaning, circulate, and influence actions in high-stakes conflicts over land, identity, and knowledge. Bidwell conceptualizes storytelling broadly to include oral narratives, literary texts, and everyday personal/public narratives, operating on the principle that stories both 'mean' and 'do' things by shaping cognition, emotion, and behavior. Current SSHRC-funded projects examine Indigenous-led literary collaborations and inter-Indigenous conflicts regarding territory and identity.

Her publication portfolio demonstrates consistent engagement with Indigenous literary theory, Métis identity, Cree storytelling traditions, and Labrador Inuit literary heritage. Recurring analytical frameworks include narrative sovereignty, intercultural communication, and the political dimensions of storytelling. Methodologically, her work emphasizes community-based, collaborative approaches that center Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems.

Her primary recognition is the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Storytelling.

Bidwell has supervised twelve graduate students across PhD and MA programs, with research spanning ethical settler engagements with Indigenous literature, Anishinaabe sense of place, Indigenous erotica, and Aboriginal realism. Her SSHRC-funded research on Indigenous literary collaborations represents significant grant achievement.

She leads research teams focused on narrative analysis and intercultural communication, maintaining active partnerships with Indigenous communities and organizations through community-based participatory research frameworks.