Indigenous knowledge in international Arctic governance regimes

• Main Author: Weisburger, Alison
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge 2011
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Council
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.22089; https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/274937

In contrast to the rising tide of alarmist news articles warning the world about potential clashes between the Arctic countries, this paper is not about conflict nor is it exclusively focused on nation-states. This project explores some of the international cooperation that is occurring in the Arctic, and pays special attention to the role of indigenous peoples in this cooperation. Perhaps a less sensationalistic angle than the stories in the popular press, but probably more important if we want to come up with constructive ideas for maintaining effective and legitimate cooperation in the future. However, that is not to say that the forthcoming academic study is without the dramatic features of tension, power struggles, and uncertainty. In the following thesis, I will use the lens of international regime theory to analyze the discourse of indigenous knowledge in the Arctic Council. Through this analysis, I aim to reveal the power of this discourse and its relationship to the social practices, including the agency of both indigenous and non-indigenous actors, surrounding the cooperation taking place under the Arctic Council. Indeed, I would argue that this analysis presents an example of some of the most remarkable, albeit nuanced, elements of contemporary Arctic politics.