Biography
Jeffrey Brison is a cultural historian whose work examines the intersection of culture, philanthropy, and politics in North America, with a particular focus on Canada. He is the author of Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Canada: American Philanthropy and the Arts and Letters in Canada, a seminal study that investigates the role of private American philanthropy in shaping Canada’s national culture and which was nominated for the John Grenzebach Award in 2007.
A founding member of the North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative (NACDI), Jeff has expanded his research to explore the global dimensions of cultural diplomacy. His recent work includes Cultural Diplomacy as Critical Practice and The Global Engagement of Museums in Canada, along with a series of articles analyzing Canada’s use of "culture" in advancing its foreign policy and global positioning.
In addition to his research, Jeff is a dedicated educator and mentor. Over the past two decades, he has supervised more than 40 graduate students and served on numerous supervisory committees in History, Art History, the Faculty of Education, and the Cultural Studies Program. His excellence in teaching has been recognized with several prestigious awards and nominations, including the 2014 Faculty Teaching Award from the Department of History, the 2021 Faculty of Arts Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, and the 2022 School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision.
Jeff is also the Director of Cultural Studies, Queen’s University’s interdisciplinary graduate program.