PhD candidate David Christopher from the department of art history and visual studies at the University of Victoria has been awarded CAUT’s 2016–2017 J.H. Stewart Reid Memorial Fellowship. Christopher’s research is centred on the rising significance of Canadian cinema as both a cultural art form and a vehicle of socio-political criticism.

“Canadian cinema requires analytical tools that contribute to an understanding of both its socio-political underpinnings and the significance of its material conditions of production,” said Christopher. The graduate student wants to understand the role media and cinema play in reproducing, subverting, or challenging contemporary political power dynamics.

Christopher holds an MA in film studies and cultural theory and an MA in theatre history from Victoria, and degrees in english and economics from Carleton. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and he has contributed to numerous academic conferences. Christopher also teaches as a sessional instructor at Victoria.