International Indigenous Rights Law and Contextualized Decolonization of the Arctic

Abstract

This chapter examines the implications of international Indigenous rights law for Arctic policy. In general terms, it argues that international Indigenous rights law has tendencies to support contextualized decolonization of the Arctic. That claim is developed in light of complexities on the content and status of international Indigenous rights law, which the chapter begins by surveying in light of certain variations across Arctic states. The chapter proceeds to reference some consequences of some of the most fundamental categories of Indigenous rights, notably cultural rights, land rights, and self-determination rights. They will have significant implications in Arctic contexts, both in respect of particular policy issues and in relation to broader issues of decolonization. The chapter concludes by highlighting the complex, contextual implications of Indigenous rights for the Arctic.