Recognizing Indigenous Sovereignty in Social Change Movements

• In Event: Democratic Deficits and Developments in Indigenous Politics

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples make up at least 6% of the world's population and account for 19% of the world's poor, yet maintain 80% of the biodiversity of the planet. Despite this, Indigenous peoples are routinely left out of how social change is theorized--whether 'green new deals" proposals are envisioned, or movements to rebuild democracy.
The reality is that Indigenous resistance, most recently to pipelines and other oil and gas developments on Indigenous lands has spawned significant social resistance, from KXL and No DAPL in the US to Idle No More and Shut Down Canada. In fact, Indigenous resistance to extractive industries has always involved intensive popular support, from the massive Canadian public resistance to logging old growth forests in Temagami and on Haida Gwai in the 1980s to the Wet'suwet'en struggle that spawned 'shut down Canada' (until COVID shut down the movement). Recently, Indigenous resistance has mobilized an intensively diverse group of activists, including anarchists, members of Black Lives matter, urban transit activists, disability and anti-poverty activists and even some unions, especially in Canada. It appears that the organizing that takes place in support of Indigenous resistance to extractive industries involves widespread re-envisioning of the kind of future society we wish to live in. This paper will explore past and current examples of how, when Indigenous peoples stand up to protect their lands, large social movement efforts are mobilized in their defense--and how we have to reconsider how Indigenous sovereignty, climate struggles and movements to rebuild democracy are connected.

Author

• Bonita Lawrence, York University