As an Early American historian, Beaur’s work has focused on the histories of Southeastern Native Americans and how they responded to the effects of colonialism. Her interests lie in Native women, as most Southeastern Native American groups practiced matrilineally, where ancestry and identity follow the mother’s line. Her passion traces back to her roots. She grew up on the Catawba Indian Reservation and later became the first Catawba Indian ever to earn a PhD.

Last year, she published a book titled Becoming Catawba: Catawba Women and Nation-building, 1540-1840, where she examines the vital role of Catawba women as mothers, providers, and protecters as they created, promoted, and preserved a Catawba identity while building a nation.