Natacha Roudeix receives Simon Fraser University Dean's Convocation Medal
Natacha Roudeix defended her thesis in 2024, under the supervision of two thesis directors, Danièle Moore (SFU) in Canada, and Gilles Forlot (Inalco, SeDYL) in France.
Roudeix, received multiple awards, including first-place awards for Best Poster at the 2024 Montpellier Conference in France and for a photography contest celebrating Indigenous cultures in 2021 in BC. She also received several scholarships such as the PhD Research Scholarship and the Northern Scientific Training Award.
Roudeix also developed speaking and reading skills in Inuktitut as well, and now speaks six languages, including German, Portuguese and notions of Russian as well as English and French.
Who are we, where are we going?⸱kinakkuuvita, namungngasivitaa? Language biographies of plurilingual Kuujjuammiut: a territory, lives, voices, objects and encounters
Roudeix investigates the plurilingual life stories of Inuit from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, through an ethnosociolinguistic and decolonial framework. Based on narrative interviews, personal objects, and situated encounters, her research highlights how Kuujjuammiut inhabit and negotiate their linguistic identities across Inuktitut, English, and French.
In her thesis she investigated revitalization, (de)colonization and reconciliation, the positionality of a researcher in an Indigenous environment, the role of community events, the connection to nature and place, as well as the place of visual and sensory methodologies, particularly in an Indigenous environment and from an Indigenous perspective. Her writing was a unique blend of Indigenous and other perspectives, and employed Inuktitut to discuss key concept from an Indigenous and the participants’ perspectives. By foregrounding Inuit voices, she uncovers the deep connections between language, land, memory, and community. Her work challenges colonial language ideologies and reveals plurilingualism as an embodied, relational, and resilient practice. The thesis ultimately affirms Inuit agency in shaping language futures rooted in cultural belonging and intergenerational transmission.
Natacha is a dedicated and exceptionally talented doctoral student. Over the past years, I have witnessed her unwavering commitment to academic excellence, research, and her contributions to both the university community, the Inuit community of Nunavik and her field of study. Her passion for social justice, empowerment of Indigenous voices, her strive for reconciliation, and her support for language reclamation of Indigenous languages and identities are evident in her academic achievements or contributions.
Daniele Moore (Simon Fraser University)
It should be emphasized from the outset that this is an exceptional thesis, remarkably original and innovative in its epistemology, that is, in its conception of knowledge and scientific knowledge in particular. This intrinsically and coherently informs all the working methods, from fieldwork to conceptual tools, to the writing of the thesis.
Gilles Forlot (Inalco)
Natacha Roudeix expresses her gratitude for the support she received during her studies, from the two universities and the Kuujjuaq communities she worked with, in these words:
.
During my time at Simon Fraser University and INALCO, I had the immense privilege of completing my doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Danièle Moore and Dr. Gilles Forlot, whose guidance, generosity, and critical insight deeply shaped my work. Being part of a cotutelle program allowed me to grow not only as a “researcher” or as a non-Inuk-becomed-guest – traveller – nomad ·Qallunaak-pulaaqtinga-aulaatit-nullangangittuq, but also as a listener and collaborator.
Natacha Roudeix
I am honoured to receive the Convocation Medal, which I share with the Inuit participants, families, and communities of Kuujjuaq who entrusted me with their voices and stories. This recognition reflects a shared commitment to research that is grounded, plural, and transformative.