Derrick M. Nault is a citizen of the Red River Métis Nation and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Winnipeg. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Queen’s University, as well as an M.A. and B.A. in History from the University of Manitoba. His research and publications span Indigenous history, international human rights, globalization, and development studies, with a strong focus on Métis political resistance and resilience.
Nault is a great-great-grandson of André Nault, Louis Riel’s cousin and captain during the Red River Resistance, and a descendant of two councilors in Riel’s 1885 Provisional Government, Jean-Baptiste Parenteau and Damase Carrière. He is also directly descended from Marie Pélagie (Dumont) Parenteau, sister of Métis leader Gabriel Dumont. His Métis heritage and ancestral ties to Red River significantly inform both his academic work and community engagement.
Nault has held academic appointments at institutions including Taejae University (Seoul), Seoul National University, the University of Tokyo, Algoma University, and the University of Calgary. While at the University of Tokyo, he was awarded a multi-year JSPS Grant-in-Aid (Category ‘C’), the Japanese equivalent of Canada’s SSHRC.
In addition to his academic work, Nault is actively involved in public history initiatives. He has contributed to the Michif Koonteur podcast and a documentary in progress titled We and Us, which explores the lives of descendants of the Red River Resistance. He has also given interviews on Métis history to the Manitoba Historical Society, St. Vital Historical Society, and the Winnipeg Free Press. As part of his commitment to accessible historical scholarship, he serves as Associate Editor (Indigenous Initiatives – Manitoba) for Prairie History, a journal that bridges academic and public history.
Dr. Nault continues to research and write on Métis history and Indigenous self-determination, with a particular interest in the Red River Métis’ enduring struggle for recognition, governance, and justice.
Contact:
Email: d.nault@uwinnipeg.ca
Selected publications and talks:
“From Rumour to Urban Legend: François Guilmette and the Execution of Thomas Scott.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association, forthcoming.
“Social Media and Indigenous Identity: The Case of Canada’s Métis People.” Journal of Communication and Media Studies, forthcoming.
Ethnogenesis and Red River Métis Identity. Derrick M. Nault. YouTube. February 20, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H-uQ5Ltkek
“Back to Batoche Days”: Honoring Métis Culture and Heritage. Derrick M. Nault. YouTube. January 7, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay3qwcaA1iQ
“‘Our Rightful Place’: The Red River Métis Self-government Treaty as Indigenous Resilience.” Derrick M. Nault. YouTube. October 8, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabgSAkZlew.
“Unit 5: Colonization in Canada.” Derrick M. Nault. YouTube. June 11, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iHwrjAxZ1g.
Africa and the Shaping of International Human Rights. Oxford University Press, 2021. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/africa-and-the-shaping-of-international-human-rights-9780198859628?cc=ca&lang=en&
“Louis Riel, Wahkohtowin, and the First Act of Resistance at Red River.” Prairie History 8 (2022): 5-16.
“Prairie History #3: A Misleading Portrait by Derrick M. Nault.” Manitoba Historical Society. YouTube. January 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqiWUDLAJbg.
“A Misleading Portrait: The Provisional Government of Assiniboia and the Creation of Manitoba.” Prairie History 3 (2020): 56-62.
Co-edited with Shawn L. England. Globalization and Human Rights in the Developing World. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. doi.org/10.1057/9780230316966 Development in Asia: Interdisciplinary, Post-neoliberal, and Transnational Perspectives. BrownWalker Press, 2009. https://brownwalker.com/book/1599424886