USask historians honoured with national awards

Two faculty members in the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Department of History have taken home prizes from the 2025 annual meeting of the Canadian Historical Association (CHA).

Associate professor Dr. Cheryl Troupe (PhD) and her co-editor Dr. Doris Jeanne MacKinnon (PhD) won the Indigenous History Book Prize for Métis Matriarchs: Agents of Transition. Dr. Kyle McLeister (PhD), a lecturer in the department, won the CHA Teaching Prize for Excellence in Teaching with Primary Sources.

Additionally, Dr. Matthew Neufeld (PhD), Department of History associate professor, was shortlisted for the 2025 Wallace K. Ferguson Prize, the award for the best scholarly work in non-Canadian history, for his book Early Modern Naval Health Care in England, 1650–1750.

The award recipients were recognized at a ceremony in Toronto on June 3.

Métis Matriarchs explores the impact and everyday lives of prominent Métis women in Western Canada between the late 19th and mid-20th century. The book shows how the contributions of these matriarchs ensured the survival of their communities during a period of intense change.

“I'm very pleased that my fellow historians see the value of these women’s life stories and that they have honoured them in this way,” said Troupe.

Troupe co-edited the book and wrote one of its chapters. Other contributors to Métis Matriarchs included Department of Indigenous Studies faculty members Dr. Allyson Stevenson (PhD) and Jade McDougall.

The book launched in 2024 to widespread praise. It was recently shortlisted for the Indigenous Peoples’ Publishing Award at the 2025 Saskatchewan Book Awards.

McLeister’s teaching award recognizes his creative and effective uses of primary sources in history and Latin courses in the USask College of Arts and Science.

“I've always loved primary sources—reading works that were written thousands of years ago really makes history come alive. It was reading primary sources that first drew me to ancient history when I was a student and I'm so happy that I get to share that experience with my students now that I'm a professor,” McLeister said.

The history lecturer has his students engage with primary sources—everything from ancient philosophical works to satires, poetry and legal documents—from day one in his classes. He strives to give students the tools to draw their own conclusions about the material and to share their opinions.

Neufeld’s Early Modern Naval Health Care in England, 1650–1750 traces the emergence of organized health care for Royal Navy seamen during the Age of Sail. The book previously received an honourable mention for the 2025 Keith Matthews Award from the Canadian Nautical Research Society.

The CHA is the largest association for the study and communication of history in Canada.

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