Race + Color + Ethnicity

CITATIONS | Global Indigenous Security

Citations:
Global Indigenous Security

Historically tied to forms of settler-colonial social organization and subjugation, Indigenous identities today—including Aboriginal, Native, First Nations/Peoples, and “tribal peoples”—have proliferated alongside contemporary efforts to secure political recognition, concentrate resources, redress historical wrongs and entrenched inequities, and form widespread networks.

The political success of the category, however, has been uneven. In some regions, such as the Americas, states have long recognized Indigenous peoples as coherent social groups with unique interests distinct from non-Indigenous groups. In others, such as much of Asia and Africa, indigeneity remains, at best, only partially recognized, even as governments acknowledge historical priority, cultural and economic distinctiveness, and entrenched territorial connections. Some groups that would in one context be identified as Indigenous avoid or refuse identifying as such, often the result of complex political negotiations. Given the tremendous—and perhaps irreconcilable—diversity that exists between different Indigenous communities, how can the many groups caught in the gravity of the concept of “the indigenous” be discussed together? What commonalities might link them?

Sidestepping the scholarly debate on the coherence of “Indigenous” as a global identity category, this special content collection highlights several thematic “centers of gravity” around which self-identifying Indigenous or “tribal” groups have come to cluster, focusing on issues of material security in line with the broader scope of Outlas as a project. It presents news and resources covering social and political developments affecting i/Indigenous* communities around the world from early 2019 through the present. A snapshot of issues and events shaping global, regional, and local conversations on Indigenous communities, it organizes content around six thematic areas: culture, conflict, health, environment, mobility, and politics. A final section contains links to government, civil society, and international resources of relevance to international Indigenous research and advocacy efforts.

* Although this collection will primarily capitalize “Indigenous” as an identifier, it will distinguish where necessary between contexts involving general conditions of historical distinctiveness with respect to territorial antecedence, livelihood, and/or culture (small-I) and those involving self-identified Indigenous/Aboriginal/Native/First/tribal communities (capital-I).

Culture & Society

Challenges regarding cultural integrity, protection, and representation persist as Indigenous communities work to preserve a sense of collective identity and historical continuity. Long used to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of identity, government policies targeting gender, childrearing, education, language use, and cultural production (including media) continue to affect the social and cultural cohesiveness of Indigenous communities. Efforts to reinvest in Indigenous cultures are widespread globally, but governments also marginalize cultural forms perceived or framed as threatening to the state.

Africa

Asia Pacific

Conflict, Discrimination & Violence

While ongoing anti-colonial movements have embroiled Indigenous activists in conflict and violence, far-right terrorism has further increased the insecurity of Indigenous peoples amid a global wave of ethnic and religious nationalism. Right-wing politicians and political movements have compounded that insecurity through the exploitation of anti-Indigenous sentiment, appealing to primitivist tropes and policies that exacerbate political, economic, and cultural marginalization and further stoking conflict between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups.

Asia Pacific

The Americas

Health

At the forefront of current health equity issues has been the emergence and proliferation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The disease has swept the global community, straining healthcare infrastructures and strangling economies around the world. For Indigenous communities, these struggles have been compounded by preexisting vulnerabilities, including water shortages, underresourced healthcare facilities, and poor telecommunications access in rural communities. The risks introduced by the virus exist alongside ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous communities worldwide, including food insecurity and unfulfilled government commitments. The outbreak has also resurfaced memories of the disproportionate impact of previous pandemics on Indigenous communities worldwide, including the 2009 swine flu (H1N1). From travel restrictions and border closings to testing partnerships with non-Indigenous governments, Indigenous leaders and public health professionals have begun implementing a range of responses to the ongoing crisis.

Africa

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Land, Housing & Environment

Struggles over land rights and environmental protections have long predominated in and linked Indigenous struggles, including movements against exploitative commercial extraction and efforts to mitigate climate change. The increasing spread of multinational capital structures and international development processes have contributed to the economic disruption and physical displacement of indigenous communities. As commitments to the “free and informed consent” of indigenous groups have steadily eroded, aggressive incursions into and alterations of the ecologies of Indigenous life by state and corporate agents have been met with resistance by Indigenous activists and other environmental defenders.

Africa

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Mobility, Citizenship & Immigration

The autonomy and mobility of Indigenous communities varies greatly worldwide, from the sovereign status of many North American groups to the lack of official recognition and territorial distinction throughout much of Africa and Asia. With overlapping and at times contradictory legal and political systems attending this variance, questions of citizenship, nationality, and official identities often crop up alongside major legal and administrative changes and “crisis” periods, from alterations to citizenship and immigration laws to the visibility of and responsiveness to Indigenous migrants in periods of mass international migration.

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Rights, Repression & Mobilization

Formal recognition policies and initiatives have advanced reconciliation efforts and secured key protections for Indigenous communities, from the Ainu in Japan to Amazigh communities in Algeria and Morocco. However, anti-Indigenous political discourse and Indigenous erasure in international politics have perpetuated the need for Indigenous mobilization, although government crackdowns on Indigenous activism—including the shuttering of advocacy organizations—have lengthened the distance to political victory for some. In extreme cases, such as the Chinese government’s roundup and internment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, ethnic groups that have long resided in particular regions have been forcibly relocated into concentration camps and “re-education” programs that amount to cultural genocide.

Africa

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Eurasia

Global/Transnational

The final three sections are compilations of links to governmental, nongovernmental, and international agencies, organizations, and resources focused on i/Indigenous communities.

Government Agencies

Africa

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Eurasia

Select National and Transnational Organizations

Africa

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Eurasia

Intercontinental

International Organizations, Mechanisms & Resources