Description
Political culture in Nunavut has long been characterized by different approaches to political life: traditional Inuit attitudes toward governance, federal aspirations for the political integration of Inuit, and territorial strategies for institutional development. Ailsa Henderson links these features to contemporary political attitudes and behaviour, concluding that a distinctive political culture is emerging in Nunavut. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork and quantitative analysis, this book provides the first systematic, empirical study of political life in Nunavut, offering comprehensive analysis of the evolving nature of aboriginal self-government in the Arctic and shedding crucial light on Inuit–non-Inuit relations.
Awards
- Short-listed, Donald Smiley Book Prize, Canadian Political Science Association 2008
Reviews
Ailsa Henderson’s Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture is an exemplary work asking the question of how well a population with set attitudes and behaviours copes with having institutions foisted upon them over a short period of time. […] The author makes a convincing case that the mismatch of institutions and political culture continues to have ramifications for the peoples and governance of Nunavut. […] For those interested in the political life of Canada’s Arctic population, decentralisation, and the interconnectedness of institutional design and political behavior, Ailsa Henderson’s Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture is a worthy addition to the bookshelf.
- Thomas J. Scotto, University of Essex
This is a pioneer text on the shaping of political life in Nunavut as a new political entity. It will be a useful source of material on indigenous self-governance. Lawyers working in the field of aboriginal affairs will be pleased on the commentary provided on Inuit and non-Inuit relations.
- Ronald F. MacIsaac
This is a pioneer text tracing the shaping of a new political entity. It will be a useful source of material on indigenous governance. Lawyers working in the field of aboriginal affairs will find it to be a guideline for them in Inuit to Non Inuit relations.
- Ronald F. MacIsaac