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Videos by Derrick M Nault

Robert Coutts, chief editor of Prairie History, talks with Derrick M. Nault about his article in ... more Robert Coutts, chief editor of Prairie History, talks with Derrick M. Nault about his article in Prairie History #3 on a photo that is widely but mistakenly labeled as "Louis Riel and his Councillors." As a descendant of Riel supporters, Nault wanted to get to the bottom of who was actually in the photo, taken on 3 June 1870 by Red River photographer Joseph Langevin.

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Books by Derrick M Nault

Oxford University Press, 2021

Africa throughout its postcolonial history has been plagued by human rights abuses ranging from i... more Africa throughout its postcolonial history has been plagued by human rights abuses ranging from intolerance of political dissent to heinous crimes such as genocide. Some observers consequently have gone so far as to suggest that human rights are a concept alien to African cultures. The International Criminal Court (ICC)'s focus on Africa in recent years has reinforced the region's reputation as a hotspot for human rights violations.

But despite Africa's notoriety concerning human rights, Africa and the Shaping of International Human Rights argues that the continent has been pivotal in helping to shape contemporary human rights norms and practices. Challenging prevailing Eurocentric interpretations of human rights' origins and evolution, it demonstrates that from the colonial era to the present Africa's peoples have drawn attention to and prompted rethinking of human rights through their encounters with the world at large. Beginning with the depredations of King Leopold II in the Congo Free State in the 1880s and ending with the ICC's current activities in Africa, it reveals how African events, personalities, groups, and nations have influenced the trajectory of human rights history in intriguing and critical ways, in the end enlarging and universalizing a major discourse of our time.

The concepts of globalization and human rights have each produced a vast literature, but surprisi... more The concepts of globalization and human rights have each produced a vast literature, but surprisingly few works have analyzed the implications of globalization for human rights. As the nations and peoples of the world become increasingly drawn together economically, politically and culturally, a deeper understanding of the consequences of globalization for freedom and wellbeing is clearly needed. This volume explicitly focuses on the developing world, where human rights abuses are the most serious, extensive and sustained. It examines how global processes are affecting the rights of peoples in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Moreover, the authors discuss new ways human rights can be enforced internationally and which institutions and policies are appropriate in a global age. Containing insightful and provocative chapters by international scholars, the book covers four broad themes: Globalization, the State and Human Rights; Transnational Corporations and Human Rights; Financial Flows, Human Rights and the Global South; and Genocide in Global Perspective.

Key Issues in Modern Sociology, 2014

Today, in an age of globalization, religion represents a potent force in the lives of billions of... more Today, in an age of globalization, religion represents a potent force in the lives of billions of people worldwide. Yet when social theorists examine the impact of globalization on contemporary religious movements, they tend to focus on issues such as Islamic fundamentalism and threats to US or global security. This collection of essays takes a different approach, analyzing – with special reference to Asia – religion through lived experience. The key issues covered in the volume include: how religious impulses contribute to globalization; how religious groups and organizations repackage traditional beliefs for transcultural appeal; how religious adherents cope with external threats to identity; how new technologies are reshaping the nature of religious beliefs and images; and how local and global religious influences blend and/or clash. Far from religion being a subject of peripheral concern to globalization, the contributors demonstrate that from the most basic level of our interactions with the natural environment to the socio-political behavior of the “great religions” – and even to the profusion of folk and pop culture phenomena – the influence of religion upon globalization, and vice versa, is apparent at all levels.

"Development" is one of the most ubiquitous yet least understood concepts of our age. It is somet... more "Development" is one of the most ubiquitous yet least understood concepts of our age. It is something all governments claim to be engaged in and is considered desirable by scholars, activists, policymakers, and laypeople alike. Yet it is also a highly contested term. For some, development is simply a matter of economic growth. Others maintain that it must entail improving life expectancy, literacy, education levels, and access to resources. Others yet, disillusioned by the results of development initiatives, have rejected development altogether, equating it with a self-serving aid industry that entraps the poor in a vicious cycle of dependency. Still, critics argue these "post-development" theorists merely replicate earlier doctrines of development and have themselves become part of the problem they wish to transcend. This book, a collection of works by scholars of development, examines the theory and practice of development and its implications and varied meanings in Asian contexts. It attempts to understand development both in its objective and constructivist senses. That is, it examines how societies and nations have developed over time and how leaders, experts and governments have attempted to shape these same societies and nations. It also analyzes development in civil society and how non-state actors have conceived, participated in and been affected by the process. Has true development been occurring in Asia? Is it possible to direct development? How are real people affected by development? Should the concept of development be retained or discarded? These are a few key questions covered in this book.

Talks by Derrick M Nault

Indigenous Resilience Panel Discussion, Algoma University, June 23, 2023, 2023

[Paper presented at Indigenous Resilience, Algoma University (Brampton) Indigenous studies panel,... more [Paper presented at Indigenous Resilience, Algoma University (Brampton) Indigenous studies panel, June 13, 2023.]

In this presentation, I detail the historic journey of the Red River Métis' fight for self-recognition, culminating in the landmark Self-government Recognition and Implementation Treaty of 2023. I examine the decades-long struggle leading up to the unanimous ratification of the treaty, its significance as a redress of past injustices, and how it shapes the Red River Metis people’s future. The talk highlights the enduring spirit of the Métis people, underscores the pivotal role played by Métis general assemblies in decision-making, and sheds light on the hopes and aspirations that the Métis hold for generations yet to come.

Papers by Derrick M Nault

Prairie History, 2022

This article examines the first act of resistance at Red River on 11 October 1869, where Louis Ri... more This article examines the first act of resistance at Red River on 11 October 1869, where Louis Riel and 17 Métis followers stopped Canadian surveyors from running lines across farmlands in St. Vital without permission. While historians agree that this event was crucial in starting the Red River Resistance and establishing Riel as a leader, many details remain unclear or in dispute. Specifically, the article addresses questions regarding the property on which the Resistance began, the identities of those present with Riel, and the role of wahkohtowin (kinship) in prompting the Resistance. Through analysis of historical records and consideration of Métis culture and history, the article reveals the complexity of this pivotal event.

Prairie History, 2020

Among the most iconic images from Manitoba history is a photograph of Louis Riel and thirteen men... more Among the most iconic images from Manitoba history is a photograph of Louis Riel and thirteen men thought to be “councillors” in his Provisional Government. This article questions conventional interpretations of the group portrait, revealing that not all the men surrounding Riel supported his cause and that using the image in a celebratory way masks violations of Métis people's rights in the aftermath of Manitoba's entry into Canadian Confederation.

Left History, 2016

This paper suggests that the struggles of colonized peoples have played a vital yet often underap... more This paper suggests that the struggles of colonized peoples have played a vital yet often underappreciated role in shaping the origins of contemporary human rights concepts. Challenging conventional Eurocentric interpretations of human rights history, it examines how the controversy surrounding King Leopold II’s rule over the Congo Free State (1885-1908) inspired some of the earliest modes of thought we understand today to mean “human rights.”

Human Rights and Foreign Policy, 2021

Paper presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Joint Human Rights Conference 2021... more Paper presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Joint Human Rights Conference 2021, "Human Rights and Foreign Policy," 14-16 June 2021.