Michel S. Beaulieu, PhD
Dr. Michel Beaulieu’s academic and community work is enriching the social and cultural fabric of Northwestern Ontario, and challenging assumptions about the significance of the north in Canadian history. Dr. Beaulieu has said that he chooses to live in Thunder Bay because of his “strong belief in the potential of the north, a belief in its past and future.”
Dr. Beaulieu, who was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario, has always been very civically engaged. As a student, he coached football, baseball, and roller hockey, and volunteered with the Region of Peel Museum and the Peel Heritage Complex. But Michel Beaulieu’s interest in northern studies and a family history rooted in Northern Ontario and Quebec made Lakehead his university of choice for postsecondary studies. In 2001, he received both an Honours BA in History and English and a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead before earning a history MA focusing on early Northwestern Ontario films in 2003. This was followed by a PhD specializing in Northern Ontario labour history from Queen’s University in 2008.
After graduation, Michel Beaulieu was hired as Assistant Professor of Northern Ontario History at Lakehead University and he will become an Associate Professor this July. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Centre for Northern Studies and the Lakehead Social History Institute. Michel Beaulieu combines this with teaching at the University of the Arctic.
A self-described community-based historian, Dr. Michel Beaulieu believes that “the result of the research that historians perform should be accessible to everyone, especially those whose story I am trying to tell.” As a result, he participates in a multitude of community organizations. He is the Chair of the Bay Street International Film Festival and sits on several boards including the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, the Canadian International Council, and the Northwestern Ontario Archivists Association.
A prolific writer and researcher, Dr. Michel Beaulieu has two forthcoming books, North of Superior and Socialism and the Politics of Labour at the Canadian Lakehead. He is also writing a history of the Industrial Workers of the World. Dr. Beaulieu has edited several books including Essays in Northwestern Ontario Working-Class History and Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough. In addition, he has many book chapters and journal articles to his credit.
Michel Beaulieu’s work appears in both academic and popular publications as part of his commitment to making history accessible and, among other honours, he has received the 2009 J.P. Bertrand Award for best scholarly article on the history of Northwestern Ontario. Dr. Michel Beaulieu’s passionate involvement in the discourse of history from northern perspective sheds light on the political and economic questions that Canada faces today.
