Ronald Niezen: "The Invention of Indigenous Peoples"

Presented by Ronald Niezen, Canada Research Chair in the Comparative Study of Indigenous Rights and Identity, and new chair of the McGill Anthropology department.

Abstract

The term "indigenous" now invokes the idea of a community or society pursuing a timeless ways of life, the first occupants of remote, wild territories living simply with the use of basic technology.  But it has been in common use only for the past three or so decades, and the legal foundations of the international community of indigenous peoples are almost as recent. The shift from legal concept to self-representation was greatly facilitated by the rise in numbers and influence of international nongovernmental organizations and by new possibilities for cultural lobbying and public persuasion.  This illustrates a legal/institutional origin to some new and emerging categories of belonging and identity.  The idea of a community with shared experience can in and of itself bring into existence a new regime of rights, an autonomous conception of belonging and a new basis for local and transnational citizenship.

About the speaker

Ronald Niezen's research involves investigating indigenous peoples as active participants in international networks and organizations. His research is informing relationships between indigenous peoples and nation-states in the context of global governance.

Professor Niezen was previously at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

Presented by the McGill International Law Society student club.