Dr. Courtney MasonCanada Research Chair | Professor | Faculty of Science
Email: cmason@tru.ca
Phone: 250-828-5446
Interests
Histories of Tourism, Parks and Protected Areas.
Rural Food Security and Sovereignty.
Indigenous Methodologies and Land-Use Management.
Health and Sport History/Sociology.
Postcolonial and Poststructural Power Relations.
River Ecology and Restoration.
Sport and Conservation Fishing.
Research Interests
Courtney is a Professor and Canada Research Chair (renewed in 2020) in Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable
Communities. He is cross appointed between Natural Resource Science and the Tourism Management
Department at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.
Courtney Mason completed his PhD at the University of Alberta where he investigated the displacement of
Indigenous peoples in the formation of Banff National Park. Along with the history of educational
institutions on the Nakoda reserve at Morley, his dissertation focused on colonial power relations and
the experiences of Nakoda peoples in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He worked as a SSHRC Postdoctoral
Fellow with the Indigenous Health Research Group at the University of Ottawa where he contributed to
community-based food security and health programs in rural Northern Ontario (Oji-Cree) and the Northwest
Territories (Dene and Metis).
His current research examines rural and Indigenous land use development with a focus on tourism
economies and protected area management. He is also interested in rural food security, sport fishing
tourism, conservation practices and environmental change. His research program is funded by SSHRC, CIHR,
the Canadian Mountain Network and BC Parks. He is also TRU's SSHRC Leaders representative.
Education
Ph.D.
University of Alberta
Masters of Human Kinetics,
University of Windsor
Honours Kinesiology (History Minor),
Wilfrid Laurier University
Publications
1. Books
Michael A. Robidoux., Courtney W. Mason. (eds.), A Land Not Forgotten: Indigenous Food Security and
Land-Based Practices of Northern Ontario. (Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2017).
Courtney W. Mason. Spirits of the Rockies: Reasserting an Indigenous Presence in Banff National Park
(Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014, 285 pages).
2. Recent Refereed Journal Articles
Courtney W. Mason, Anna Carr, Emalee Vandermale*, Bill Snow & Lois Philipp. Rethinking the Role of
Indigenous Knowledge in Sustainable Mountain Development in Canada and Aotearoa / New Zealand. Mountain
Research and Development 42, 3 2022: 11-20.
Pate Neumann* & Courtney W. Mason. The Influence of Transportation and Digital Technologies on
Backcountry Tourism and Recreation in British Columbia, Canada. Tourism Geographies. 2022: 1-27.
Carmen D. Massey*, Josie V. Vayro* & Courtney W. Mason. Conservation Values and Actor Networks that
Shape the Adams River Salmon Run in Tsutswecw Provincial Park, British Columbia. Society & Natural
Resources 34, 9, 2021: 1-20.
Spencer Toth* & Courtney W. Mason Out in the Countryside: Gay Tourist Perspectives on Rural Travel
in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Rural and Community Development 16, 3, 2021: 84-107.
Kelsey Boule*, Josie Vayro* & Courtney W. Mason. Conservation, Hunting Policy and Rural Livelihoods
in British Columbia. Journal of Rural and Community Development 16, 1, 2021, 108-132.
Paulina Ross* & Courtney W. Mason. We hardly have any moose around here anymore: Climate Change and
the Barriers to Food Security in the Dehcho Region, Northwest Territories. Arctic 73, 3, 2020,
368-385.
Jason Johnston* & Courtney W. Mason. Rethinking Representation: Shifting from a Eurocentric Lens to
Indigenous Methods of Sharing Knowledge in Jasper National Park, Canada. Journal of Parks and Recreation
Administration 28, 3, 2020, 1-19.
Paulina Ross* & Courtney W. Mason. Local Food Procurement, Adaptive Capacities and Resilience to
Environmental Change in the Northwest Territories. Canadian Food Studies 7, 1, 2020, 20-43.
Jason Johnston* & Courtney W. Mason. The Paths to Realizing Reconciliation: Indigenous Consultation
in Jasper National Park. International Indigenous Policy Journal 11, 4, 2020, 1-27.
Dominique Hazel* & Courtney W. Mason. The Role of Stakeholders in Shifting Environmental Practices
of Music Festivals in British Columbia, Canada. International Journal of Event and Festival Management
11, 2, 2020: 181-202.
Jason Johnston* & Courtney W. Mason. The Struggle for Indigenous Representation in Canadian National
Parks: The Case of the Haida Totem Poles in Jasper. Journal of Indigenous Research 8, 1, 2020: 1-14.
Pate Neumann* & Courtney W. Mason. Managing Land Use Conflict Among Recreational Trail Users: A
Sustainability Study of Cross-Country Skiers and Fat Bikers. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.
28, 2019: 1-10.
Kelsey L. Boule* & Courtney W. Mason. Ethical Issues in Sport Hunting and Tourism Economies:
Stereotypes, Sustainability and Inclusion in British Columbia's Hunting Industries. Sport History Review
50, 1, 2019, 93-115.
Leisha Strachan, Tara-Leigh McHugh & Courtney W. Mason. Understanding Positive Youth Development in
Sport Through the Voices of Indigenous Youth. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 40, 6, 2018:
293-302.
Courtney W. Mason, Tara-Leigh F. McHugh, Leisha Strachan & Kelsey L. Boule*. Urban Indigenous Youth
Perspectives on Access to Physical Activity Programs in Canada. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise
and Health, 11, 4, 2018: 543-558.
Heather Thompson*, Courtney W. Mason & Michael A. Robidoux. Hoop-style Greenhouse Gardening in the
Wapekeka First Nation as an Extension of Land-Based Food Practices. Arctic Journal 71, 4, 2018:
387-401.
Employment History
Professor
Canada Research Chair in Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities (renewed)
Tourism Management / Natural Resource Science Departments
Thompson Rivers University
Courses Taught
TMGT 4020 Graduating Seminar
TMGT 4980 Globalization, Sport and Megaevents
TMGT 4990 Honours Thesis
TMGT 4980 Indigenous Tourism: Power, Politics and Peoples
Please visit my website for more information: http://courtneymason.sites.tru.ca
Professional Affiliations
North American Society of Sport History (NASSH)
North American Society of Sport Sociology (NASSS)
Biopolitica, Chile, Affiliated Researcher.
Body, Movement and Culture Research Group, Canada, Affiliated Researcher.
Centre for Recreation Research, New Zealand, Affiliated Researcher.
Australian / New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies (ANZALS).
Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA).
Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society.
International Polar Tourism Research Network (IPTRN).
