Biography
Tanja Hoffmann is an archaeologist and cultural anthropologist. Tanja's research interests centre upon the interplay between and among intangible and tangible cultural heritage, Indigenous rights, resource management, and economic development. She holds a PhD in Resource and Environmental Management (Simon Fraser University) and a Master of Arts in First Nations Studies (University of Northern British Columbia). Dr. Hoffmann's dissertation, written in collaboration with the Katzie First Nation of coastal British Columbia, Canada examined aspects of cultural resilience exhibited by Katzie as they adapted to the construction of a major infrastructure project constructed through the heart of their traditional fishing territory. Dr. Hoffmann is currently the postdoctoral research lead on a national project entitled "Benchmarking Indigenous / Non-Indigenous
Employment, Business, and Social Development Partnership Capacities in Major Resource Projects." The project is coordinated through Indigenous Works, a Canadian non-profit Indigenous organization, Mitacs, and the University of Saskatchewan's Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of public policy.
For the past 25 years Tanja has been privileged to work with and for a number of Indigenous communities in Western Canada. Much of her research has been guided by community priorities. Consequently, Tanja has experience designing and implementing projects ranging from archaeological excavations to social impact assessments. She has published on topics ranging from the economic, social and environmental dynamics of ancient gardening among the peoples of the Northwest Coast, to the importance of maintaining humility when practising archaeology with and for Indigenous communities.
