Kurtis Boyer PhD, MA, BA

Kurtis Boyer (Michif/Métis) is a citizen of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and a political scientist working in the areas of Indigenous governance and political psychology. Originally from Southern Saskatchewan, Kurtis completed his PhD in Political Science from Lund University in Sweden in 2018.

Kurtis has worked extensively on issues related to Indigenous politics, self-governance, and law. His research focuses on Inuit self-determination via resource management, Métis governance, collaborative economic development between municipal and band administrations, and how external conditions influence political behavior.

Kurtis has professional experience working with Métis governments, such as the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MNS) and Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC), as well as Métis organizations such as the Métis National Council (MNC). His work includes advising on constitutional reform, providing governance reviews, and engaging in legal and political analysis.

Dr. Boyer had the opportunity to appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples to discuss bills under consideration and was appointed to the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab in 2021.

Designations

• PhD, Political Science, Lund University
• M.A., Political Science, University of Northern British Columbia
• B.A., International Studies, (minor in Indigenous Studies), University of Saskatchewan

Kurtis Boyer is currently accepting applications from new PhD and MPP students for September 2024 in the following research areas: Métis/Indigenous governance, policy, and politics.

Awards/Scholarships

• SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021), “Reconciliation, Emotion, and the “Pull of the Status Quo”
• Canadian Institute for Nordic Studies Graduate Scholarship (2017)
• CIBC Achievers Renewable Graduate Scholarship (2017)
• Indspire Advanced Education Grant (2017)

Selected Recent Publications

Currently working on a monograph that is under contract with Sydney University Press entitled: Autocracy of Empathy: Our Relations Beyond the Polis.

Selected Publications

• Boyer, Kurtis, and Chris Andersen. (forthcoming, 2024). "Defining A Nation: Métis Nation-Building in the face of Epistemic Injustice." Journal of the Native American and Indigenous Studies.
• Boyer, Kurtis, and Paul Simard. (forthcoming, 2024). "Self-Indigenization as Epistemic Injustice." In L. Forsythe (Ed.), Mawachihitotaak: Métis Studies Reader, pp. 1-21. Revision Requested, University of Manitoba Press.
• Boyer, Kurtis. (2023). "Where Does Agency Come From?: Exploring Indigenous Models of Mind." In A. Sullivan-Clarke (Ed.), Ways of Being in the World: An Introduction to Indigenous Philosophies of Turtle Island, pp. 82-94. Published, Broadview.
• Boyer, Kurtis. (2017). "Polar Bears and Other Objects." In Sara Jay (Ed.), Critical Norths: Space, Nature, Theory, pp. 103-117. Anchorage: University of Alaska Press.
• Boyer, Kurtis. (2016). "When the Butcher Calls the Hunter Foul, and the Muddied Politics which Follow: Speciesism and the EU Opposition to the Wolf Hunt." Contemporary Justice Review, 19(2), 201-209.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

• Boyer, K. (2017). “Polar Bears and Other Objects” in Sara Jay (Ed) Critical Norths: Space, Nature, Theory. Anchorage: U of Alaska Press (pp. 103-117).
• Boyer, K. (2016). “When the Butcher Calls the Hunter Foul, and the Muddied Politics which Follow: Speciesism and the EU Opposition to the Wolf Hunt”. Contemporary Justice Review, 19(2), 201-209.
• Boyer, K. (2016). “Beyond Complicity and Denial: Animal Advocacy And The Right To Living Justly.” In G. Garmendia da Trindade, & A. Woodhall (Eds.), Intervention or Protest: Acting for Nonhuman Animals. Vernon Press (222-242) (Co-Authored with Guy Scotton & Katherine Wayne).
• Boyer, K. (2015). “Politics and Animals: An Introduction.” Politics and Animals, 1(1), 1-5. (Co-Authored with Guy Scotton, Per-Anders Svärd, Katherine Wayne).
• Boyer, K. (2014). “The Limits of Species Advocacy.” In M. L. J. Wissenburg, & D. Schlosberg (Eds.), Political Animals and Animal Politics. (pp. 123-134). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Boyer, K. (2013). “Sverige, EU och vargen: Motstridiga antropocentrismer som källa till internationell konflikt”. Internasjonal Politikk, 71(1), 120-127. (Co-Authored with Martin Hall).
• Boyer, K. (2012). “Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights.” Journal for Critical Animal Studies, 10(4), 179-183.
• Boyer, K (2008). “1885 — Aftermath”, in kā-kī-pē-isi-nakatamākawiyahk Our Legacy: Essays, Avery & Fischter (Eds), University of Saskatchewan.