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Nadine Fabbi’s article published in the 2012 Arctic Yearbook

2012 Arctic Yearbook

February 28, 2013

Nadine’s article focuses on the intersection between Arctic indigenous political mobilization and nation-state politics in the Arctic. The nation-state has typically been employed as the primary unit for political analysis in conventional international relations theory. However, since the end of the Cold War, transnational issues such as climate change along with a growing number of multinational corporations and international organizations are challenging the limits of that analytical model. This is especially true in the Arctic where indigenous organizations have reframed the region as a distinct territory that transcends national political boundaries. In Canada, the Inuit have remapped the Arctic along cultural lines in an effort to ensure all Inuit benefit from future policy implementation. At the international level, the Inuit are promoting a concept of the Arctic based on cultural cohesion and shared challenges, in part to gain an enhanced voice in international affairs. The Inuit are also utilizing customary law to ensure their rights as a people will be upheld. What is occurring in the Arctic is an unparalleled level of indigenous political engagement. The Inuit are “remapping” the Arctic region and shaping domestic and international policy with implications for the circumpolar world and beyond. This paper explores the unique nature of Inuit political engagement in the Arctic via spatial and policy analysis, specifically addressing how the Inuit are reframing political space to create more appropriate “maps” for policy implementation and for the successful application of international customary law. Joël Plouffe, Visiting Québec Scholar at the Canadian Studies Center, is a managing editor of the 2012 Arctic Yearbook.

About the Arctic Yearbook
The Arctic Yearbook is the outcome of the Northern Research Forum and the University of the Arctic Thematic Network (TN) on Geopolitics and Security. The TN also organizes the annual Calotte Academy.

The Arctic Yearbook is intended to be the preeminent repository of critical analysis on the Arctic region, with a mandate to inform observers about the state of Arctic geopolitics and security. It is an international and interdisciplinary peer-reviewed publication, published online at [www.arcticyearbook.com] to ensure wide distribution and accessibility to a variety of stakeholders and observers. To read the full version of The Arctic Yearbook , please click the front page image.

This publication is available under limited copyright protection. You may download, distribute, photocopy, cite or excerpt this document provided it is properly and fully credited and not used for commercial purposes.

Editor: Lassi Heininen, University of Lapland
Managing Editors: Heather Exner-Pirot, University of Saskatchewan and Joël Plouffe, University of Québec at Montréal (UQAM)

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