Dedicated Parliamentary Seats for Indigenous Peoples: Political Representation as an Element of Indigenous Self-Determination
AbstractIdeas about what constitutes indigenous self-determination are still evolving. A key focus of indigenous debate over self-determination has been on forms of self-government. One aspect that has been gaining attention amongst indigenous peoples world-wide is shared government, involving separate indigenous political representation. The author focusses on the relevance of self-determination for indigenous political representation. She suggests that this issue has been neglected in the debate over indigenous participation in political processes. While the concepts of self-determination are often purported to frame the debate, they have not informed the choices made over options discussed during the debate. The author argues that decisions on indigenous political representation have to be better informed by consideration of the methods of best achieving indigenous self-determination. |