Faculty and staff

Dr. Alessandro Tarsia is a Tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of History. Although he earned his BA and MA in Philosophy and History in Italy, he completed his PhD in Indigenous Histories at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Dr. Tarsia’s work is grounded in Community-Engaged Scholarship, and since 2019, he has collaborated with Stó:lō and other Coast Salish First Nations as a historical researcher and videographer on ethnohistorical projects related to treaty litigations, court cases, and community histories.

Since joining the faculty at UFV, Dr. Tarsia has developed new courses on the history of Indigenous-Newcomer relations in Canada and the Coast Salish history of alcohol and tobacco. He actively mentors research students at the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC) Collaboratorium on projects about Canadian Indigenous histories, incorporating this work into his courses. His broader research also explores the history of Italian immigration to Canada.

• Ph.D., Indigenous Histories, University of Saskatchewan, 2022
• MA, Philosophy, History curriculum, University of Calabria, Italy, 2010
• BA, Philosophy, Communication, and Science of Knowledge, University of Calabria, Italy, 2008

• Member of the Board, Heritage Abbotsford Society
• Member of the Canadian Historical Association

My teaching philosophy is centered on the student and grounded in the idea of a continuing learning experience. I aim to challenge students to develop a critical perspective on the complexity of historical truth by presenting them with diverse interpretations of historical events. In my classes, I use an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating primary sources from my own research with local communities—such as documents, photos, and videos—to stimulate discussion and critique. I believe that a plurality of viewpoints enriches historical knowledge, and I strive to foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding. By supporting students through one-on-one meetings and encouraging both traditional research papers and creative projects, I work to ensure their experience is both challenging and fairly supported.

• Stó:lō History
• History of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Relations with Newcomers in Canada
• Indigenous History of Tobacco and Alcohol in Canada
• Directed Studies in Local Settler and Indigenous Histories
• Local History for the Web

• Canadian history of Indigenous-Newcomer relations
• Ethnohistory
• History of drugs (specifically alcohol and tobacco in Indigenous history)
• Italian immigration to Canada

• 2025-2026 – SSHRC Explore Grant
• 2025-2026 – UFV CoA Research Support
• 2025-2026 – UFV Work-Study Grant Program
• 2024-2025 – ROSA Release
• 2024-2025 – UFV Work-Study Grant Program
• 2023-20254 – ROSA Release

• 2025. “The Colonial Tobacco Invasion and Terraforming of Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake): Salish Segregation in the Wage Labour Economy in the Interwar Period – 1920s-1930s.” Accepted panellist for the “Place & Power.” BC Studies Conference, University of British Columbia, May 2.
• 2206. “The Ambiguity of Tobacco in Stó:lō Culture, Tradition, and Historical Consciousness.” Panellist to the conference: “Decolonization and Indigenization: The Contemporary Debate in Canada.” University of Calabria (Italy), May 22, 2024.

• “’The Myth of the “Smoking Indian:’ Tobacco Species in the Pacific Northwest Contact Zone Between Exploitative Colonial Gaze and Indigenous Resilience (1770s-1820s).” Iperstoria no. 25 (2025): 342-63.
• “The New Ethnohistory of The Pacific Canadian Region Could Teach Italian Canadians How to Be Worse Settlers and Better Human Beings.” Italian Canadiana 36, no. 2 (Fall 2022): 27-59.
• Perché la ‘Ndrangheta. Antropologia dei Calabresi [Why the ‘Ndrangheta. Anthropology of the Calabrese People]. Gioiosa Marea: Pungitopo, 2015.
• “The Devil in the Sheaves. Ergotism in Southern Italy.” Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies, no. 195 (June 6, 2013): 357–371.
• Il Pane e il Fuoco: L’Ergotismo nel Meridione d’Italia [Bread and Fire: Ergotism in Southern Italy]. Rome: Aracne, 2011.

• Collaborates with several Stó:lō and Coast Salish communities on historical research projects conducted at the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC).
• Works as Senior Researcher and videographer for the Homalco, Klahoose, and Tla'amin First Nations on the Čečeqatał (Helping Each Other) Project.
• Serves as videographer and editor for the Sts'elemeqw Residential School Thrivers Society, documenting their annual gatherings at Sumas.
• Provides historical research and videography for multiple First Nations, including Seabird Island, Squiala, Matsqui, Tzeachten, and the Stó:lō Nation, to support community histories and treaty litigations.