Overview

In the past thirty or so years, discussions of the status and rights of indigenous peoples have come to the forefront of the United Nations human rights agenda. During this period, indigenous peoples have emerged as legitimate subjects of international law with rights to exist as distinct peoples. At the same time, we have witnessed the establishment of a number of UN fora and mechanisms on indigenous issues, including the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, all pointing to the importance that the UN has come to place on the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples' rights. Morgan describes, analyses, and evaluates the efforts of the global indigenous movement to engender changes in UN discourse and international law on indigenous peoples' rights and to bring about certain institutional developments reflective of a heightened international concern. By the same token, focusing on the interaction of the global indigenous movement with the UN system, this book examines the reverse influence, that is, the ways in which interacting with the UN system has influenced the claims, tactical repertoires, and organizational structures of the movement.

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9780754674450

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Reviews

'How did indigenous peoples secure the right to self-determination in international law? Morgan's analysis shows how the discursive activism of the global indigenous movement within the UN succeeded in transforming accepted understandings and definitions of human rights norms. Theoretically sophisticated and rich in empirical detail, this analysis will appeal to scholars in social movement studies, international relations and the sociology of law.' Rachel Sieder, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social (CIESAS), Mexico 'Rhiannon Morgan's exciting, scholarly and elegantly written book on the indigenous peoples rights movement is a pleasure to read. Using a wide span of interdisciplinary knowledge and her own research at the UN, Dr. Morgan vividly explores the struggles between indigenous peoples, national governments and international bodies. Her analysis of the emerging spaces for the recognition of new rights that challenge the authority of the state is a genuinely original contribution.' Colin Samson, University of Essex, UK 'Rhiannon Morgan's Transforming Law and Institutions is timely and scholarly. It is not just that indigenous rights are in themselves significant. As Morgan correctly points out, their passage into law heralds a change in the nature of state sovereignty and its territorial borders, pointing to the growth of legal pluralism and to claims for self-determination on a global scale. A compelling and authoritative work.' Bryan S. Turner, The City University of New York, USA 'This book is a wide-ranging and thoughtful analysis of the global processes that culminated in the United Nation's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Framed by the three components signalled in the subtitle, Rhiannon Morgan's new book cumulatively builds towards an understanding of what should be conceptualized as an unprecedented occurrence within the United Nations and beyond. It is the transformation of laws and institutions pertaining to indigenous peoples, setting new standards for the application of human rights to the specific contexts of indigenous peoples and their collective lives... Rhiannon Morgan's superbly executed research and publication serves as a model and inspiration for others to emulate.' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Morgan offers a detailed, and as far as this reviewer can assess, quite accurate account of main actors and important front- and backstage events. She carefully reviews core documents and fieldwork data gathered through interviews and participant observations at various UN meetings and conferences dealing with indigenous issues, chiefly between 2001 and 2004. ... overall this book provides an insightful and thorough analysis, and can be recommended both as an introduction to the issue, and as a handbook for students, researchers, and new activists, to look up core events, institutions, and legal mechanisms. Anthropological Forum

'How did indigenous peoples secure the right to self-determination in international law? Morgan's analysis shows how the discursive activism of the global indigenous movement within the UN succeeded in transforming accepted understandings and definitions of human rights norms. Theoretically sophisticated and rich in empirical detail, this analysis will appeal to scholars in social movement studies, international relations and the sociology of law.' Rachel Sieder, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en AntropologA a Social (CIESAS), Mexico 'Rhiannon Morgan's exciting, scholarly and elegantly written book on the indigenous peoples rights movement is a pleasure to read. Using a wide span of interdisciplinary knowledge and her own research at the UN, Dr. Morgan vividly explores the struggles between indigenous peoples, national governments and international bodies. Her analysis of the emerging spaces for the recognition of new rights that challenge the authority of the state is a genuinely original contribution.' Colin Samson, University of Essex, UK 'Rhiannon Morgan's Transforming Law and Institutions is timely and scholarly. It is not just that indigenous rights are in themselves significant. As Morgan correctly points out, their passage into law heralds a change in the nature of state sovereignty and its territorial borders, pointing to the growth of legal pluralism and to claims for self-determination on a global scale. A compelling and authoritative work.' Bryan S. Turner, The City University of New York, USA 'This book is a wide-ranging and thoughtful analysis of the global processes that culminated in the United Nation's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Framed by the three components signalled in the subtitle, Rhiannon Morgan's new book cumulatively builds towards an understanding of what should be conceptualized as an unprecedented occurrence within the United Nations and beyond. It is the transformation of laws and

Author Information

Dr Rhiannon Morgan, Senior Lecturer in Political Sociology, Oxford Brookes University, UK

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