Professor Kermoal"s research expertise:
• Indigenous History
• Métis History
• Métis Rights
• History of Indigenous Political Thinking (1960s-1970s)
• Calgary School
• Constitutional Issues
• Indigenous Women
• Daily Lives/Material Culture
• Contemporary Aboriginal Art
• Urban Indigenous Issues
Current Research:Professor Kermoal is currently working on urban Métis history. She is researching
the Métis housing context of the 1960s and 1970s to understand why housing became the number one priority for action. She focuses more specifically on a Métis Housing Corporation named Canative founded in Edmonton in 1971. Three Métis men: Herb Belcourt, Orval Belcourt and Georges Brosseau understood that putting a roof over peoples’ head was an essential part of having a decent living. This ground breaking, innovative and inspirational non-profit organization became an extremely successful Métis housing project across Alberta. Theaim of the book is to capture an important moment in history at a time when the Métis were not on the radar of the Federal government since they were perceived as a provincial jurisdiction. In the 1970s, Canative challenged what it meant to be Aboriginal and living in a big city like Edmonton. Through self-governing principles and measures, it overcame many barriers, some institutional, some raced-based and demonstrated—with a lot of determination amidst the criticisms—that a business led by Aboriginal people could be successful.
As indicated in her short bio, Professor Kermoal is the Director of the Rupertsland Center for Métis Research:
Who We Are
The Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research (RCMR) serves as an expansive academic research program specifically geared toward Métis issues. The goals and objectives of the research centre include: building provincial and national connections with the Métis community; building research capacity to advance Métis-specific research; and training and employing student researchers.
Research Areas
- Historical research and Métis rights
- Institutional deficit in Métis education
- Land use and resources
- Contemporary Métis issues Research and
- Analysis capacity on current topics and general policy areas