Ellen Dobrowolski

Thesis supervisor: Dr. Carly Daniel-Hughes

Thesis title: Missionary and Métisse: Unsettling Conceptions of the Ethnic and Religious Identities of Sara Riel

Ellen Dobrowolski (she/they) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University. She is a member of the Métis Nation BC and her family network spreads across the Métis homeland. Ellen's doctoral project, "Missionary and Métisse: Unsettling Conceptions of the Ethnic and Religious Identities of Sara Riel", draws on her background in both First Nations and Indigenous Studies and Religious Studies to investigate the life and work of Sara Riel, the first Métis Grey Nun missionary.

Ellen's research celebrates Indigenous histories and historical figures, and seeks to highlight Indigenous research methods and methodologies which center and privilege our experiences of religion, and our ways of knowing and being. Her doctoral research is supported by Concordia University, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)/conseil de recherches en sciences humains (CRSH), and the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture bourse de doctorate awarded by the government of Québec.

Ellen served as co-chair of the Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference (AGIC) in 2023 and is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Religion and Culture (JRC). Ellen also took part in Miywâcimo! - The Indigenous Directions Storytellers Competition in 2024 and was awarded first place.

Publications

• Co-Authored Chapters
  • [R] Lewis, James R., and Ellen Dobrowolski. “Native American Prophet Religions.” The Oxford Handbook of New Religions Movements, Vol. 3, Oxford University Press, 2016: 495 - 515.
• Assistant to Editor
  • [R] Lewis, James R. The Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism. Cambridge University Press, 2017.