Margaret-Anne Murphy
MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies (2020)
Capstone Project: 'Reconciliation is Dead': Unist'ot'en Camp, Land Back and How the Movements Can Inform Settler Responsibilities and Indigenous-Settler Relationships Going Forward
Bio: Margaret-Anne (M-A) Murphy is a second-generation Irish settler who grew up on Treaty Six territory in what is now known as Edmonton. Prior to completing her Masters in Gender and Social Justice, she completed a BA in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Studies with a minor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies on unceded Coast Salish Territories at UBC. She also holds a diploma in Peace and Justice Studies, a certificate in Transformative Justice and a certificate of Mental Health and Addictions from Selkirk College in BC.
Her current research interests include memory studies, settler responsibility, Indigenous-settler relations, transformative justice and intersectional feminist art as praxis, to name a few. Supervised by Dr. Tracy Bear, her capstone paper focused on the ‘Reconciliation is Dead’ movement. She discussed the Unist’ot’en Camp as a site of Indigenous self-determination, as well as a site of rejection of the Canadian state’s vacuous reconciliatory promises and politics. ‘Reconciliation is Dead’ can help to uphold Indigenous demands beyond governmental platitudes towards an active and alive solidarity. She also discussed Land Back, personal experiences she had at the camp, ongoing settler responsibilities (recognizing the differently situated and intersectional positions of settlers) on treaty and unceded lands, and potential moves forward.
She really enjoyed doing her Masters and met wonderful people in her 2019/2010 cohort. She is currently taking a break from academic endeavors, but may eventually return to pursue a PhD. For now, she is focusing on building community, creating more art and gaining experience in creative and freelance writing.