Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
Economic challenges are often invoked in discussions of island sovereignty and non- sovereignty. This paper explores the perceived link between a subnational island jurisdiction’s ability to achieve economic independence and its ability to achieve political independence. In the popular and political...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:6648cc7443034eac8551050b75d44d36 2023-05-15T16:27:00+02:00 Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) Adam Grydehøj 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.101 https://doaj.org/article/6648cc7443034eac8551050b75d44d36 EN eng Island Studies Journal https://doaj.org/toc/1715-2593 doi:10.24043/isj.101 1715-2593 https://doaj.org/article/6648cc7443034eac8551050b75d44d36 Island Studies Journal, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 89-112 (2020) economic dependence islands kalaallit nunaat (greenland) political independence sovereignty Physical geography GB3-5030 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.101 2022-12-31T00:55:23Z Economic challenges are often invoked in discussions of island sovereignty and non- sovereignty. This paper explores the perceived link between a subnational island jurisdiction’s ability to achieve economic independence and its ability to achieve political independence. In the popular and political discourse, it is frequently argued that island territories—sovereign island states and subnational island jurisdictions (SNIJs)—ought to reduce their economic dependence on patron states. Such ideas are often entangled in colonial relationships, and the scholarship suggests no correlation between economic independence and political sovereignty. I use the case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) to illustrate the conceptual complexity and ambiguity of economic dependence and economic independence. Media and political discourses emphasise that because Kalaallit Nunaat is economically dependent on its former coloniser Denmark, this SNIJ is incapable of exercising its autonomy or becoming a sovereign state, yet these discourses simultaneously argue that Kalaallit Nunaat should not create economic dependencies on other states, such as China and the USA. This discursive construction ignores the real power dynamics at play in the relationships between Kalaallit Nunaat, Denmark, and other states. I argue that the concepts of economic independence and economic dependence are unsuitable as indicators of readiness or unreadiness for island political independence. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland kalaallit Kalaallit Nunaat Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland Island Studies Journal 15 1 89 112 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
economic dependence islands kalaallit nunaat (greenland) political independence sovereignty Physical geography GB3-5030 |
spellingShingle |
economic dependence islands kalaallit nunaat (greenland) political independence sovereignty Physical geography GB3-5030 Adam Grydehøj Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
topic_facet |
economic dependence islands kalaallit nunaat (greenland) political independence sovereignty Physical geography GB3-5030 |
description |
Economic challenges are often invoked in discussions of island sovereignty and non- sovereignty. This paper explores the perceived link between a subnational island jurisdiction’s ability to achieve economic independence and its ability to achieve political independence. In the popular and political discourse, it is frequently argued that island territories—sovereign island states and subnational island jurisdictions (SNIJs)—ought to reduce their economic dependence on patron states. Such ideas are often entangled in colonial relationships, and the scholarship suggests no correlation between economic independence and political sovereignty. I use the case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) to illustrate the conceptual complexity and ambiguity of economic dependence and economic independence. Media and political discourses emphasise that because Kalaallit Nunaat is economically dependent on its former coloniser Denmark, this SNIJ is incapable of exercising its autonomy or becoming a sovereign state, yet these discourses simultaneously argue that Kalaallit Nunaat should not create economic dependencies on other states, such as China and the USA. This discursive construction ignores the real power dynamics at play in the relationships between Kalaallit Nunaat, Denmark, and other states. I argue that the concepts of economic independence and economic dependence are unsuitable as indicators of readiness or unreadiness for island political independence. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Adam Grydehøj |
author_facet |
Adam Grydehøj |
author_sort |
Adam Grydehøj |
title |
Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
title_short |
Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
title_full |
Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
title_fullStr |
Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: The case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) |
title_sort |
unravelling economic dependence and independence in relation to island sovereignty: the case of kalaallit nunaat (greenland) |
publisher |
Island Studies Journal |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.101 https://doaj.org/article/6648cc7443034eac8551050b75d44d36 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland kalaallit Kalaallit Nunaat |
genre_facet |
Greenland kalaallit Kalaallit Nunaat |
op_source |
Island Studies Journal, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 89-112 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://doaj.org/toc/1715-2593 doi:10.24043/isj.101 1715-2593 https://doaj.org/article/6648cc7443034eac8551050b75d44d36 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.101 |
container_title |
Island Studies Journal |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
89 |
op_container_end_page |
112 |
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1766016042177396736 |