1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810056603321

Autore

Schouls Timothy A

Titolo

Shifting boundaries : aboriginal identity, pluralist theory, and the politics of self-government / / Tim Schouls

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Vancouver, : UBC Press, c2003

ISBN

1-283-33064-4

9786613330642

0-7748-5194-5

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (241 p.)

Disciplina

323.1/197071

Soggetti

Indians of North America - Canada - Politics and government

Indigenous peoples - Canada - Politics and government

Indians of North America - Legal status, laws, etc - Canada

Indigenous peoples - Legal status, laws, etc - Canada

Indians of North America - Canada - Ethnic identity

Indigenous peoples - Canada - Ethnic identity

Cultural pluralism

Autochtones - Canada - Politique et gouvernement

Autochtones - Droit - Canada

Autochtones - Canada - Relations avec l'Etat

Autochtones - Canada - Identite ethnique

Pluralisme

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [206]-215) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Identity Politics and Pluralist Theory -- Approaches to Aboriginal Identity -- Aboriginal Culture, Nation, and the Politics of Difference -- Aboriginal Women, Youth, and the Priority of Individual Choice -- Aboriginal Boundaries and the Demand for External Equality -- Aboriginal Identity and the Desire for Internal Equality -- Aboriginal Self-Government and the Politics of Pluralism -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index



Sommario/riassunto

Canada is often called a pluralist state, but few commentators view Aboriginal self-government from the perspective of political pluralism. Instead, Aboriginal identity is framed in terms of cultural and national traits, while self-government is taken to represent an Aboriginal desire to protect those traits. Shifting Boundaries challenges this view, arguing that it fosters a woefully incomplete understanding of the politics of self-government. Taking the position that a relational theory of pluralism offers a more accurate interpretation, Tim Schouls contends that self-government is better understood when an "identification" perspective on Aboriginal identity is adopted instead of a "cultural" or "national" one. He shows that self-government is not about preserving cultural and national differences as goods in and of themselves, but rather is about equalizing current imbalances in power to allow Aboriginal peoples to construct their own identities. In focusing on relational pluralism, Shifting Boundaries adds an important perspective to existing theoretical approaches to Aboriginal self-government. It will appeal to academics, students, and policy analysts interested in Aboriginal governance, cultural studies, political theory, nationalism studies, and constitutional theory.