Riley Olstead

Riley Olstead is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at St. Francis Xavier University. Her research focuses on settler colonialism, decolonisation, and the ethics of settler academic responses to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015). She explores intersections of decolonial health, agriculture, climate change, and Indigenous/settler relations through ontological frameworks.

• Ph.D., Sociology, York University (2007)
• University Teaching Diploma, York University (2004)
• M.A., Sociology, York University (2000)
• B.A., Sociology, University of British Columbia (1998)

Her research integrates decolonial methodologies with analyses of gender, trauma, and environmental justice. Recent work examines Indigenous ontologies in climate education, gendered responses to social distancing during pandemics, and narrative constructions of rural dementia. Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches to settler responsibility, media discourse on mental health, and historical criminological debates.

The articles reflect trends in decolonial theory, climate justice, and gendered narratives. Key themes include Indigenous knowledge systems, trauma ethics, urban fear, and the sociocultural framing of mental illness.

She teaches courses in Deviance and Social Control, Health Justice, Sociology of Agriculture, and Climate Justice. No scientific awards or student advising details are explicitly mentioned in the provided texts.