¶ˇĎăÔ°AV

As one of ¶ˇĎăÔ°AV's most outstanding graduate students from the Faculty of Education, Dr. Natacha Roudeix is recognized with the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal. On behalf of ¶ˇĎăÔ°AV, we congratulate Dr. Roudeix on her outstanding achievements.

Natacha Roudeix’s research and thesis resulted in her being awarded two PhD’s at the same time as she earned her PhD as a cotutelle student (joint-PhD) between ¶ˇĎăÔ°AV and (INALCO) in France. INALCO is the oldest and most reputable higher education institution in France with a research focus on/with Inuit and Arctic societies and Inuktitut language revitalization-reclamation, and strong collaborations with Canadian Inuit communities and research centres. As a cotutelle student, Roudeix is now a doctor of both institutions and countries.

In order to achieve this, Roudeix’s work was highly demanding and required her to meet doctoral requirements in both institutions, long-term fieldwork, and a high caliber thesis assessed by high caliber scholars of both countries (the jury consisted of 7 members).

Roudeix’s thesis, ,  researched the language practices and representations of multilingual Inuit from Kuujjuaq in Nunavik in the far North of Canada, in a multilingual ecology where Indigenous and official languages coexist.

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.

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 B.C. 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.

As Roudeix was pursuing two PhD’s at the same time, she had two supervisors: Danièle Moore (¶ˇĎăÔ°AV) and (INALCO).

Says, Moore, “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.”

Says Forlot, “Il faut souligner d’emblée que nous avons affaire à une thèse exceptionnelle remarquablement originale et innovante dans son épistémologie, c’est-à-dire dans sa conception de la connaissance et de la connaissance scientifique en particulier. Cela irrigue intrinsèquement et de façon tout à fait cohérente l’ensemble des méthodes de travail depuis les enquêtes de terrain jusqu’à l’écriture de la thèse en passant par les outils conceptuels.”

(Translation: 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.)

Roudeix is grateful to the support she received during her studies, from both intuitions as well as from the Kuujjuaq communities she worked with.

Says Roudeix, “During my time at ¶ˇĎăÔ°AV 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.

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.”

Roudeix plans to continue working in education and research alongside Indigenous communities to support language revitalization, reconciliation, and culturally grounded approaches to teaching and learning.

Additional Links

• Program: Languages, Cultures and Literacies (LCL)
• LinkedIn: 
• IDEAS Podcast: