Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies
Meaghan Weatherdon is a Canadian scholar from Algonquin territory, Ottawa, Ontario and an Assistant Professor of religious studies working at the University of San Diego on Kumeyaay territory. Her scholarship brings critical Indigenous, de/anti-colonial, and community situated methodologies and theories into dialogue with the study of religion. In particular, Dr. Weatherdon is interested in how spiritual ideas, discourses, and practices inform Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and visions for justice with a particular focus on youth driven land-based movements. She considers how spirituality structures Indigenous governance with land and other-than-human persons, posing a challenge to the colonial secular, neo-liberalism, and the study of religion. She has worked with Whapmagoostui First Nation to conduct research on the Journey of Nishiyuu, a social movement in which Uschiniichisuu from Whapmagoostui, Québec walked to Ottawa, Ontario during the Winter of Idle No More to call attention to ongoing colonial injustices and build solidarity with other First Nations. Additionally, she has written on the bureaucratization of Indigenous spirituality in environmental management, and on the subjects of animals and mobility in the study of Indigenous religions.
Prior to being appointed at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USD in September 2019, Dr. Weatherdon worked as an educator and research consultant for a variety of Indigenous and governmental organizations, including, the Cree School Board, the Cree Board of Health and Social Services, the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association, and Parks Canada.
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Weatherdon teaches courses on exploring religious meaning and Indigenous religious and spiritual traditions. Her approach to teaching is informed by land-based and decolonizing pedagogies. She enjoys introducing students to the richness and diversity of Indigenous cultures on Turtle Island, with a focus on the San Diego and California areas. She encourages students in her classroom to reflect on how education can be operationalized to support Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty.