2020 Weaver-Tremblay Award - Bruce Granville Miller, University of British Columbia
Dr. Miller is well known at CASCA for his key role in the association, having been a member since 1990 as well as an Executive Committee member (1995–1997), Journal Coeditor for Culture/Anthropologica (1995–1998), Editorial Committee member for the journal Anthropologica (two terms, 1998–2000 and 2005–2017) and Resolution Committee member (2017–2020). However, the intent of this award is more specifically to highlight his dedication and research contribution to applied and engaged anthropology.
Dr. Miller’s track record attests to a dedication to excellence throughout his career in engaged anthropology research. His candidacy is bolstered by numerous letters of support from fellow researchers, students and members of Indigenous communities, the field of legal practice, and the museum world. These letters all bear witness to his inspiring commitment, spirit of partnership and dedication to a “useful anthropology” imbued with a passion for justice.
His work with Indigenous communities in the context of presenting oral history as evidence in trials involving Indigenous communities has been instrumental. His ethnographic and anthropological work on legal aspects has proven important in Canada and the United States, but also in other international contexts, and more particularly in Brazil. His work has been disseminated through numerous talks and scholarly publications and has earned him a number of awards. As a colleague has noted, “His work is grounded in community and driven by community interests. In today's bitterly divided world, scholars like Bruce Miller serve as needed reminders of how important it is to design and conduct research in ways that will build capacity within Indigenous communities and contribute to expanding understanding about Indigenous culture within settler society.”
The Weaver-Tremblay Award Committee was also impressed by the extent of Dr. Miller’s mentoring, which has won him awards and led him to teach in interdisciplinary contexts and supervise the master’s and PhD work of students who today continue to build on his dedication. He additionally co-organized and directed the first ethnographic fieldwork graduate school with the Stó:lō Nation. To quote a colleague, “He actively integrated engagement and decolonization into his scholarly work and teaching well before those became fundamental approaches in the discipline.”
In short, Dr. Miller’s work in Canadian applied anthropology is nothing short of outstanding and an inspiration.