IRES Seminar Series
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm (every Thursday)
Location: AERL Theatre (room 120), 2202 Main Mall
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Global Indigenous Rights and Politics: A Subtle Revolution
Abstract:
While indigenous peoples are often dismissed as marginal non-state actors, and Indigenous rights are cast off as merely aspirational and non-binding human rights, Sheryl Lightfoot argues quite the contrary in her 2016 book, Global Indigenous Politics: A Subtle Revolution. She views the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a potential moment of revolutionary transformation in global politics, often overlooked and under-appreciated both in theory and in practice. The real potential for that revolutionary transformation lies in implementation of Indigenous rights, which necessarily involves considerable systemic change on both the domestic and international levels. While implementation of Indigenous rights faces significant challenges both within and outside Canada, there are also important opportunities actively presenting themselves, alongside these challenges.
Sheryl Lightfoot
Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs
Associate Professor, First Nations and Indigenous Studies
Bio:
Sheryl Lightfoot is Canada Research Chair of Global Indigenous Rights and Politics at UBC, where she holds academic appointments in both Political Science and First Nations and Indigenous Studies. She is also currently serving as Senior Advisor to the UBC President on Indigenous Affairs. Her research focuses on Indigenous politics, especially Indigenous rights and their implementation in global, national and regional contexts. Dr. Lightfoot is Anishinaabe from the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe.
Photo Credit: Madison Stevens, IRES PhD Student