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Towards dialogue on recognition of indigenous difference : discourses of self-determination in democratic theory and indigenous scholarship

University of British Columbia

This paper argues that conceptual dialogue regarding self-determination between democratic theorists and indigenous scholars is necessary before dialogue between the Canadian state and indigenous communities can be fruitful. This conceptual dialogue is impossible as long as democratic theorists and indigenous scholars essentialize each other's understandings of the self. Using Charles Taylor's theory of recognition, I argue that both democratic theorists and indigenous scholars present multiple ways of conceiving of self-determination and highlight the work of Dale Turner and Hannah Arendt as most productive for theoretical dialogue that may inform the more pragmatic dialogues between the Canadian state and indigenous communities.

Text

2011-03-09

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/32190

Political Science

University of British Columbia

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