Indigenous Self-Determination and Gender Justice

What is it about?

This paper is about the relation between collective self-determination and gender justice in indigenous communities. It focuses on the case of indigenous women in Canada. Many people in liberal societies argue that giving indigenous peoples the collective right to self-determination would result in the oppression of their women. The situation of indigenous women in Canada seems to confirm this; under the indigenous self-government regime granted by the Indian Act, indigenous women have suffered from discriminations in their own communities, including being excluded from tribal/band membership privileges when they “out-marry.” Some indigenous women, however, strongly support the collective right to indigenous self-determination. I call these indigenous women’s position traditionalist. Through careful examinations of relevant facts and philosophical analyses of key concepts, this paper defends the traditionalist indigenous women’s position.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

My paper offers an important but neglected perspective on the relation between the right to self-determination and gender justice in indigenous communities.