by Sarah Schulist, Hannah McElgun, Christine Shreyer

Dr. Shannon Ward was a linguistic anthropologist who was as passionate about her work as she was insightful. She died on September 9, 2025.

Shannon’s work focused on the experiences of multilingual children, language socialization, and responses to the pressures of dominant languages in minority communities, mainly in the Himalayan region. She discovered her love for both language and this region of the world during a high school study abroad experience in India, which translated into a career in supporting minority communities and deepening understanding of language and multilingualism. Her book, Amdo Lullaby: An Ethnography of Childhood and Language Shift on the Tibetan Plateau was published by the University of Toronto Press in 2024, and was awarded the Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group’s Biennial Book Prize in 2026 (posthumously).

Shannon grew up in Massachusetts, received her BA from Wellesley College and an MA, MPhil, and PhD from New York University. She began her position as an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, in 2019. She helped to organize the CASCA conference in Kelowna in May 2024. Her energy and commitment to her students made her a popular instructor with close relationships to her students; she was awarded an Outstanding Instructor award in the spring of 2026 (posthumously). As well, she continued her involvement with the Tibetan community both through her travels and in the diaspora residing in British Columbia. Although early in her career, she accomplished much as a scholar, teacher, and colleague, all while struggling with anxiety and depression. She is missed by so many, including her students, research partners, colleagues, friends, and family.