Course

The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minorities

This course addresses the human rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, taking up contemporary tensions such as religious, social and political conditions, tensions between national sovereignty and collective and individual rights, as well as questions of identity. Significant emphasis is placed on the arguments that have been asserted by actual minority groups on these issues.

At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to demonstrate that they have developed and broadened their knowledge, skills, and approach to the subject of human rights compared to the previous term by:

  • describing how indigenous rights, as well as the rights of ethnic and national minorities, are defined in international law
  • explicating the theoretical framework that defines how these rights relate to the nation-state and to democracy
  • analysing indigenous peoples’ and ethnic minorities’ relationship to majority populations and cultural frameworks

 

Books

Bodley, John H., 2015. Victims of Progress. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield (395 pp.). Also available as e-bok via EbscoHost for students and staff at University College Stockholm.

Charters, Claire & Rodolfo Stavenhagen (eds.) (2009). Making the Declaration Work: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. IWGIA: Copenhagen. ISBN: 978-87-91563-61-4. Available as e-book at iwgia.dk. (390 pages)

 

Articles

Asch, Michael and Samson, Colin, et al., 2004. “Dialogue on the Return of the Native”. Current Anthropology, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 261-267 (7 pp.).

Bowen, John R., 2000. ”Should We have a universal concept of indigenous peoples’ rights?. Anthropology Today, vol. 16, No. 4 pp. 12-16 (5 pp.). Available at JSTOR. Note that this requires that you create an account at JSTOR.

Engle, Karen, 2011. On Fragile Architecture: The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Context of Human Rights (23 pp.) European Journal of International Law, vol. 22, No. 1, pp.141-163. Available at www.ejil.org/search.php

Johansson Dahre, Ulf, 2008. The Politics of Human Rights: Indigenous Peoples and the Conflict on Collective Human Rights”, The International Journal of Human Rights, (2008) vol. 12, no 1, pp. 41-52. (12 pp.)

Kempin Reuter, Tina (2008-09). ”Dealing with Claims of Ethnic Minorities in International Law”. Connecticut Journal of International Law, vol. 24, pp. 201-237. (36 pp).

Kenrick, Justin & Lewis, Jerome, 2004. “Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and the Politics of the Term Indigenous”. Anthropology Today, vol.20, no 2, s 4-9 (6 pp.). Available at JSTOR. Note that this requires that you create an account at JSTOR.

Kuper, Adam, 2003. “The Return of the Native”. Current Anthropology, vol 44, No. 3, pp. 388-402. (15 pp.)

Niezen, Ronald (2003) “The Origins of the International Movement of Indigenous Peoples”. In, R. Niezen, The Origins of Indigenism: Human Rights and the Politics of Identity. Berkely: University of California Press, pp. 29-52 (23 pp.).

Sehlin MacNeil, Kristina (2017) “Exploring extractive violence on indigenous country”. Umeå University: Centre for Sami Studies, pp. 33-42 (9 pp.).

Reference material

IWGIA (2021) The Indigenous World. Copenhagen: IWGIA (784 pages)

Johansson Dahre, Ulf (2020, 2:a uppl.) The International Discourse on Indigenous Peoples: A Compilation of Legal and Political Texts. Lund: Palmkrons förlag (560 pages)


Literature last revised on October 5, 2020.

The schedule is available at the latest one month before the course starts. We do not recommend that you print the schedule as some changes may happen.

Open the Schedule

Course Coordinator

Ulf Johansson Dahre

PhD, Docent

ulf.johansson-dahre@ehs.se

Grades

A = Excellent, B = Very good, C = Good, D = Satisfactory, E = Sufficient, Fx = Insufficient, F = Insufficient

Examination Format

  • Papers
  • Written examination

Grundläggande behörighet.

  • Completion of a course requires a minimum of 80% attendance at lectures and 100% attendance at seminars/group work and other assignments. Absence beyond that can be compensated by supplementing assignment(s) if the instructor finds it possible. In case of an absence of 50% or more, the course is considered as interrupted, even if assignments have been completed.
  • Students have the opportunity to take the exam according to the original course syllabus within two years after the course. If there are special reasons, such a re-examination can also take place later. Normally, teaching is not given according to an older syllabus. The possibility of exemption shall be decided by the president or vice president.
  • If a student due to disability has a decision from the EHS on special pedagogical support, the examiner shall, if necessary, adapt the examination and conduct the examination in an alternative way.

Established by The College of Human Rights at Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm on December 8, 2014.

Last revised on June 18, 2024.