Melisa Brittain (she/her, they/them) is a settler currently working and living on Treaty 6 territory in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). A scholar, filmmaker, and educator, Melisa is committed to learning and raising awareness about ongoing colonialism in Canada and working towards ending inequities and advancing social justice. Melisa earned a PhD in English from the University of Alberta, where they taught courses in Indigenous literatures, gender and sexuality, queer and feminist theory, critical race studies, and academic writing. Melisa has been teaching at Athabasca University since 2006.
Educational credentials
Ph.D., English, University of Alberta
M.A., English, University of Guelph
B.A. (Honours), English and Philosophy, University of Guelph
Professional affiliations
Research Associate for the First Nations Children's Action Research and Education Service (FNCARES), Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
Independent Filmmaker, KingCrip Productions
“Crip Excess, Art, and Politics: an Interview with Robert McRuer.” Danielle Peers, Melisa Brittain, and Robert McRuer. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies. 34: 3-4 (2012): 148-155.
“Benevolent Invaders, Heroic Victims and Depraved Villains: White Femininity in Media Coverage of the Invasion of Iraq.” (En) Gendering the War on Terror: War Stories and Camouflaged Politics. Eds. Krista Hunt and Kim Rygiel. Aldershot: Ashgate Press, 2006. 73-96.
“Liberation Fantasy Revised: White Women Saving Brown Men from Themselves.” Fifty3: A Magazine About Visual Culture. 5.1 (2003): 8-12.
“Erasing Race in the New Woman Review: Victoria Cross's Anna Lombard.” Nineteenth- Century Feminisms. Special Issue: Masculinities, Maternities, Motherlands: Defining/Contesting New Woman Identities. (Ed. Ann Heilmann.) 4 (Spring/Summer 2001): 75-95.
(Dis)placed: Indigenous Youth and the Child Welfare System. (42 min). Dir. Melisa Brittain. KingCrip Productions, 2017.
Elephant in the Room. (4 min). Dir. Melisa Brittain and Lucas Crawford, 2012.
And the Rest Is Drag. (32 min). Dir. Melisa Brittain, Shani Mootoo, and Danielle Peers. KingCrip Productions, 2009.
Bill 44: Smaller Classes, Smaller Minds. (5 min). Dir. Melisa Brittain, T.L. Cowan, Alissa Overend, and Danielle Peers. KingCrip Productions, 2009.
G.I.M.P. Boot Camp. Satire/Documentary (8 min). Dir. Melisa Brittain and Danielle Peers. KingCrip Productions, 2008.