Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture

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UBC Press, Jul 1, 2008 - Political Science - 272 pages

Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture explores the complex processes at work in the generation of political cultures. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork and quantitative analysis, it 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.

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.

Original and provocative, Nunavut explores political attitudes, behaviour, and institutions in Nunavut before, during, and after the creation of the new territory, challenging our understandings of how political cultures are generated and sustained.

This book will appeal to political scientists, sociologists, and others interested in culture and politics, Aboriginal studies, and northern development.

From inside the book

Contents

1 Introduction
1
2 Politics in Nunavut
18
3 Inuit Political Culture
37
4 Political Integration in the Eastern Arctic
56
5 Institutional Design in the Eastern Arctic
85
6 Consensus Politics
112
7 Political Participation in Nunavut
138
8 Ideological Diversity in Nunavut
168
9 Transforming Political Culture in Nunavut
190
10 Cultural Pluralism and Political Culture
213
Appendix
221
Notes
223
References
228
Index
244
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About the author (2008)

Ailsa Henderson is a senior lecturer in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh.

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