The contested scales of indigenous and settler jurisdiction: Unist’ot’en struggles with Canadian pipeline governance

Abstract

This paper argues that theorizing pipeline governance in Canada necessitates engaging with Indigenous modes of effecting jurisdiction over development. Focusing on the Unist’ot’en land defence against the TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline, the paper argues that Indigenous resistance disrupts the scales of settler pipeline governance in British Columbia, Canada. Contesting the authority of the state, Indigenous territorial assertions constitute countervailing forms of jurisdiction grounded in and operationalized through distinct scales of resource governance.