DOCSLIB.ORG

Towards Estimating the Indigenous Population in Circumpolar Regions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Towards Estimating the Indigenous Population in Circumpolar Regions University of Southern Denmark Towards estimating the indigenous population in circumpolar regions Young, T Kue; Bjerregaard, Peter Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2019.1653749 Publication date: 2019 Document version: Final published version Document license: CC BY-NC Citation for pulished version (APA): Young, T. K., & Bjerregaard, P. (2019). Towards estimating the indigenous population in circumpolar regions. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 78(1), [1653749]. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2019.1653749 Go to publication entry in University of Southern Denmark's Research Portal Terms of use This work is brought to you by the University of Southern Denmark. Unless otherwise specified it has been shared according to the terms for self-archiving. If no other license is stated, these terms apply: • You may download this work for personal use only. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying this open access version If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details and we will investigate your claim. Please direct all enquiries to [email protected] Download date: 09. Oct. 2021 International Journal of Circumpolar Health ISSN: (Print) 2242-3982 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/zich20 Towards estimating the indigenous population in circumpolar regions T. Kue Young & Peter Bjerregaard To cite this article: T. Kue Young & Peter Bjerregaard (2019) Towards estimating the indigenous population in circumpolar regions, International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 78:1, 1653749, DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2019.1653749 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2019.1653749 © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 22 Aug 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 241 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=zich20 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIRCUMPOLAR HEALTH 2019, VOL. 78, 1653749 https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2019.1653749 Towards estimating the indigenous population in circumpolar regions T. Kue Younga and Peter Bjerregaardb aSchool of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; bDepartment of Health, Centre for Public Health Research in Greenland, Greenland Government and University of Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark, Nuuk, Greenland ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Despite the importance of indigenous people in the Arctic, there is no accurate estimate of their Received 28 June 2019 size and distribution. We defined indigenous people as those groups represented by the “per- Revised 20 August 2018 manent participants” of the Arctic Council. The census in Canada, Russia and the United States Accepted 1 August 2019 records status as an indigenous person. In Greenland, a proxy measure is place of birth supple- KEYWORDS mented by other information. For the Nordic countries we utilized a variety of sources including Circumpolar health; arctic; registered voters’ lists of the various Sami parliaments and research studies that established Sami indigenous people; cohorts. Overall, we estimated that there were about 1.13 million indigenous people in the population; census; registry northern regions of the 8 Member States of the Arctic Council. There were 8,100 Aleuts in Alaska and the Russian North; 32,400 Athabaskans in Alaska and northern Canada; 145,900 Inuit in Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland; 76,300 Sami in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia; and 866,400 people in northern Russia belonging to other indigenous groups. Different degrees and types of methodological problems are associated with estimates from different regions. Our study highlights the complexity and difficulty of the task and the consider- able gaps in knowledge. We hope to spur discussion of this important issue which could ultimately affect strategies to improve the health of circumpolar peoples. Introduction while in others it is recorded but with varying degree of completeness and accuracy. An important demographic characteristic of the This paper attempts to assemble available statistics Arctic is the presence of indigenous peoples, who from diverse sources to estimate the size of the indigen- constitute the majority of the population in some ous population in the 8 Arctic States and their northern regions. The importance of indigenous people in regions. We present regional estimates of the total indi- circumpolar issues is recognised by the fact that genous population as well as the population of specific the Arctic Council, the intergovernmental forum of indigenous groups across the Arctic. We do not present the 8 Arctic States – Canada, Kingdom of Denmark, data on the health status of Arctic indigenous peoples, as Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, these are extensively documented elsewhere [2,3]. Sweden, and USA – includes also “permanent parti- Wedonotattempttodefine“indigenous people” in this cipants”. Permanent participants are international paper. While various definitions exist, including some from organisations of indigenous peoples whose home- international organisations, there are vastly different landscrossnationalbordersaswellasthenational national contexts, legislations and practices that defy organisation in Russia. These are the Aleut a comprehensive, universal definition. The diverse perspec- International Association [AIA], Arctic Athabaskan tives and many challenges in identifying indigenous peo- Council [AAC], Gwich’in International Council [GIC], ples globally were reviewed by Bartlett et al.[4]. As an Inuit Circumpolar Council [ICC], Russian Association operational definition, we include in this paper only those of Indigenous People of the North [RAIPON], and groups that are represented by one of the permanent Saami Council[1]. participants of the Arctic Council. AIA is an organisation of Despite the importance of the indigenous popula- Aleuts in the USA and Russia. AAC and GIC represent tion in the Arctic, an accurate estimate of its size and Athabaskan and Gwich’in communities in Alaska and north- distribution remains elusive. In some countries, ethnic ern Canada. While the Gwich’in language is a member of identity is not recorded by national statistical systems, the Athabaskan (also spelt Athabascan, Athapaskan) CONTACT T. Kue Young [email protected]; [email protected] School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2 T. K. YOUNG AND P. BJERREGAARD language family, Gwich’in communities formed a separate political organisation. ICC has member organisations in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia. We follow the ICC usage of “Inuit” to refer to Inuit collectively across all four countries, recognising that there are different regional xxx x xx terms for self-designation. The Saami Council represents the Sami in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Table 1 cross-tabulates the various indigenous groups and circumpolar regions covered in this paper. We use “ethnicity” to refer to different cultural groups of people, as the term is used in Canada and the Nordic countries. In the USA, the term “race” is used, while the term “ethnicity” is used by the Census Bureau to refer to Hispanic or Latino identity only. In Russia, the equivalent would be “nationality” [natsional’- nost’]. We also use the term “indigenous” across all the circumpolar regions, recognising that there are other terms such as “Aboriginal”, “Native”, etc., that are also in Norway Sweden Finland Russian Federation use in some regions. xxxxxx x x xxxxxx x x In presenting our data, we proceed eastward from the International Date Line, starting in Alaska, followed by northern Canada, the North Atlantic, Fennoscandia, and across Russia to Chukotka, its easternmost region directly across from Alaska. x x Methods, definitions and data sources Where available, data on indigenous populations were obtained from various national statistical agencies. Additional sources included the published literature Kingdom of Denmark and relevant websites of indigenous peoples’ organisa- tions. For each of the Arctic States, we identified various administrative regions as constituting their “North”, x with the exception of Iceland, which was treated as both a sovereign nation-state and a northern region. Greenland and Faroe Islands, self-governing territories of the Kingdom of Denmark, were regarded as its north- Canada ern regions. As indicated in Table 1, indigenous people x x x x as defined in this paper were not present in either Iceland or the Faroe Islands. USA and Alaska The State of Alaska is the only Arctic region of the USA. USA xx x x x x x x x x x x x The US Census Bureau publishes data on “American x x Indians and Alaska Natives” [AIAN] collectively,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Address by the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference
    Address by the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference Rosemarie Kuptana President, Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Ontario, Canada Keywords: Inuit Circumpolar Conference; Inuit; Self-determination-, Health issues; Research relationships I am very pleased to be here to speak to The connection between indigenous self­ you about circumpolar health from an Inuit per­ determination issues and circumpolar health spective. The agenda for this tenth meeting of may not seem clear at fist. It may help if one the International Congress on Circumpolar recognizes that self-determination and sover­ Health covers a wide range of health issues vi­ eignty issues are fundamentally about power, tally important to circumpolar peoples, such as and about how power is exercised and who ex­ benefits and risks of subsistence foods, cancer ercises it over self, family, community, and na­ prevention, diabetes, alcohol abuse, traditional tion. I will try to explain from an Inuit perspec­ knowledge and healing, and environmental tive how certain power relationships have real health, to name a few. life impacts on the day-to-day lives of Inuit as As you know, Inuit are a circumpolar we seek to maintain and develop the health of people, whose territories span the northern our families and communities. I will speak to reaches of four nations: the United States power relationships between peoples and be­ (Alaska), Canada, Greenland, and Russia. The tween individuals, and I hope that my comments Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) is the in­ will have some resonance in your discussions ternational organization of the approximately of the many important circumpolar health is­ 130,000 Inuit who live in these four circumpo­ sues on your agenda.
    [Show full text]
  • Edmonton CMA 2001
    RECENT IMMIGRANTS IN METROPOLITAN AREAS Edmonton A Comparative Profile Based on the 2001 Census April 2005 Produced by Strategic Research and Statistics For additional copies, please visit our website: Internet: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/research/papers/menu-recent.html All rights reserved. No part of this information (publication or product) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without prior written permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S5 or [email protected]. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2005. Cat. no. MP22-20E/6-2005E-PDF ISBN 0-662-39069-5 Aussi disponible en français sous le titre Les immigrants récents des régions métropolitaines : Edmonton – un profil comparatif d’après le recensement de 2001. RECENT IMMIGRANTS IN METROPOLITAN AREAS Edmonton A Comparative Profile Based on the 2001 Census Prepared by Strategic Research and Statistics in collaboration with Informetrica Limited April 2005 Table of Contents FOREWORD................................................................................................................................................................VII HIGHLIGHTS.................................................................................................................................................................X PART
    [Show full text]
  • Second Report Submitted by the Russian Federation Pursuant to The
    ACFC/SR/II(2005)003 SECOND REPORT SUBMITTED BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES (Received on 26 April 2005) MINISTRY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION REPORT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROVISIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES Report of the Russian Federation on the progress of the second cycle of monitoring in accordance with Article 25 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities MOSCOW, 2005 2 Table of contents PREAMBLE ..............................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................4 2. The legislation of the Russian Federation for the protection of national minorities rights5 3. Major lines of implementation of the law of the Russian Federation and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities .............................................................15 3.1. National territorial subdivisions...................................................................................15 3.2 Public associations – national cultural autonomies and national public organizations17 3.3 National minorities in the system of federal government............................................18 3.4 Development of Ethnic Communities’ National
    [Show full text]
  • Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World I Instructor: TBA Classes: TBA Time: TBA Office: TBA Room: TBA Office Hours: TBA Lab: N/A Phone: TBA E-Mail: TBA
    Art & Science Division Northern Studies 328 Semester, Year Course Outline Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar World I Instructor: TBA Classes: TBA Time: TBA Office: TBA Room: TBA Office hours: TBA Lab: N/A Phone: TBA E-mail: TBA COURSE DESCRIPTION This 3-credit course is the first part of a two-part multidisciplinary examination of the human environment and experience of the Circumpolar North. Though diverse peoples with diverse cultures inhabit this region, they share many characteristics. The goal of this course is to examine the primary societies that lived in the circumpolar regions prior to contact with European colonial powers (the precontact period). The first modules will review the natural environment of the Circumpolar World, and the archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and oral historical records of the North, to understand circumpolar societies before contact and colonization. In the second half of this course, the modules will review the history of colonization and will document the origin and spread of colonialism in the North. The major historical trends will be reviewed to demonstrate how the North was integrated into nation- states and how northern territories became internal colonies under the domination of more populous southern cores of the nation-states that govern the circumpolar regions of the world. The goal of the course is to better locate the development of the Circumpolar World in light of larger historical trends. The course will examine the history of contact and colonization of the North and will discuss the consequences of this colonization. Students should have a better understanding of the cultural diversity that existed in the circumpolar North, and should also appreciate the similarities that unite the distinct regions, including the fact that all peoples of this region had to face one form or another of colonization within their respective nation-states.
    [Show full text]
  • An Ethnohistorical Review of Health and Healing in Aklavik, NWT, Canada
    “Never Say Die”: An Ethnohistorical Review of Health and Healing in Aklavik, NWT, Canada by Elizabeth Cooper A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Native Studies University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2010 by Elizabeth Cooper Abstract The community of Aklavik, North West Territories, was known as the “Gateway to the North” throughout the first half of the Twentieth Century. In 1959, the Canadian Federal Government decided to relocate the town to a new location for a variety of economic and environmental reasons. Gwitch’in and Inuvialuit refused to move, thus claiming their current community motto “Never Say Die”. Through a series of interviews and participant observation with Elders in Aklavik and Inuvik, along with consultation of secondary literature and archival sources, this thesis examines ideas of the impact of mission hospitals, notions of health, wellness and community through an analysis of some of the events that transpired during this interesting period of history. Acknowledgements I would like to thank and honour the people in both Aklavik and Inuvik for their help and support with this project. I would like to thank my thesis committee, Dr. Christopher G Trott, Dr Emma LaRocque and Dr. Mark Rumel for their continued help and support throughout this project. I would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Dr. S. Michelle Driedger’s Research in Science Communication CIHR-CFI Research Lab, University of Manitoba Graduate Studies, University of Manitoba Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba, Department of Native Studies and University of Manitoba Graduate Students Association, for making both the research and dissemination of results for this project possible.
    [Show full text]
  • The Census of Canada, Primarily for the Teacher’S Reference, Provides a More Detailed Description of the Census and Its History
    Insert census logo and header Dear educator: The 2016 Census Teacher’s Kit has been developed for use in elementary, intermediate and secondary classes across the country. All activities are classroom-ready and have been reviewed to meet curriculum requirements. The four activities contained in this kit are appropriate for many subjects, including mathematics, social studies and language studies in English or French. They also include 'Next steps' ideas to connect these subject areas with concepts in the sciences and creative arts. The best time to incorporate the teacher’s kit into your curriculum is during May 2016, when the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture are being conducted. However, activities can be incorporated into classroom studies throughout the school year. If you have questions or comments about the 2016 Census Teacher’s Kit, please contact: Statistics Canada Census Communications 100 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, 10th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6 Fax: 613-951-0930 or 1-877-256-2370 Email: [email protected] A digital download of the 2016 Census Teacher’s Kit is available on the 2016 Census website at www.census.gc.ca. Thank you for helping to spread the census message to your students. We welcome and appreciate your feedback. To assist us in improving the teacher’s kit for 2021, please complete the enclosed feedback form and fax it back to 613-951-0930 or 1-877-256-2370. Note: A separate 2016 Adult Education Kit is available on the 2016 Census website at www.census.gc.ca. 1 2 Teacher’s guide Introduction This guide contains useful information for educators who are teaching their classes about the census, or who are incorporating activities from the 2016 Census Teacher’s Kit into their programs.
    [Show full text]
  • Aboriginal Languages in Canada
    Catalogue no. 98-314-X2011003 Census in Brief Aboriginal languages in Canada Language, 2011 Census of Population Aboriginal languages in Canada Census in Brief No. 3 Over 60 Aboriginal languages reported in 2011 The 2011 Census of Population recorded over 60 Aboriginal languages grouped into 12 distinct language families – an indication of the diversity of Aboriginal languages in Canada.1 According to the 2011 Census, almost 213,500 people reported an Aboriginal mother tongue and nearly 213,400 people reported speaking an Aboriginal language most often or regularly at home.2,3 Largest Aboriginal language family is Algonquian The Aboriginal language family with the largest number of people was Algonquian. A total of 144,015 people reported a mother tongue belonging to this language family (Table 1). The Algonquian languages most often reported in 2011 as mother tongues were the Cree languages4 (83,475), Ojibway (19,275), Innu/Montagnais (10,965) and Oji-Cree (10,180). People reporting a mother tongue belonging to the Algonquian language family lived across Canada. For example, people with the Cree languages as their mother tongue lived mainly in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta or Quebec. Those with Ojibway or Oji-Cree mother tongues were mainly located in Ontario or Manitoba, while those whose mother tongue was Innu/Montagnais or Atikamekw (5,915) lived mostly in Quebec. Also included in the Algonquian language family were people who reported Mi'kmaq (8,030) who lived mainly in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, and those who reported Blackfoot (3,250) as their mother tongue and who primarily lived in Alberta.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Inuvialuit Identity in the Modern
    inuvialuit rising: the evolution of inuvialuit identity in the modern era Natasha Lyons Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; [email protected] abstract The Inuvialuit of the western Canadian Arctic were recognized by the government of Canada as the traditional owners and formal stewards of their territory by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement of 1984. During the pursuit of this claim, its progenitors replaced the Western term ‘Mackenzie Inuit’ with the Inuvialuktun term ‘Inuvialuit’ as the collective identifier of the seven or eight traditional groups of the Mackenzie/Beaufort region. The relationships between these groups, and their notions of collectiv- ity, have a rich and complex history. This paper traces the evolution of Inuvialuit social and cultural identity from precontact times through the modern era. The primary focus, however, is on the forces and influences that have helped to shape contemporary Inuvialuit culture, society, and identity in the twentieth century. keywords: Inuvialuit, identity, community-based research, land claims, Mackenzie River The Inuvialuit are the Inuit of the western Canadian Arctic. in exploring the forces and influences that have helped They have lived along the lower reaches of the Mackenzie to shape the Inuvialuit as a group and how these have River and adjacent coastlines bordering the Beaufort Sea changed over the course of contact history. Identity, as for much longer than recorded in historical documents or discussed below, is a sociopolitical and cultural concept oral history. Their ownership and stewardship of this terri- that has been defined in many ways. I use both the sin- tory was formally recognized by the government of Canada gular ‘identity’ and plural ‘identities’ throughout this in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement of 1984.
    [Show full text]
  • Census Coverage Studies in Canada: a History with Emphasis on the 2011 Census
    Section on Survey Research Methods – JSM 2010 Census Coverage Studies in Canada: A History with Emphasis on the 2011 Census David Dolson Statistics Canada, 100 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0T6 Abstract For Canada’s 2011 Census of Population, Statistics Canada will again use the Reverse Record Check methodology for estimating undercoverage. Estimates are based upon classification of a sample of persons who “should” be enumerated as being in-scope enumerated, in-scope missed or out-of-scope. Overcoverage will be estimated using the Census Overcoverage Study, first implemented in 2006. This methodology is based upon matching the census database to itself using administrative records to aid in confirming the validity of matching pairs of enumerations. This paper will trace the history of census coverage studies in Canada, primarily focusing on the period since 1961 when the Reverse Record Check was first implemented. Emphasis will be placed on plans for 2011, outlining the methodology of each study and highlighting important changes from the 2006 coverage studies. Keywords: Reverse Record Check, Record Linkage 1. Introduction The first census in Canada including a formal coverage measurement program was that in 1961; undercoverage was estimated using the Reverse Record Check (RRC) methodology. This paper will first give a description of coverage measurement fundamentals and concepts as applied in Canada. The next section will review the methodology of the 1961 RRC and trace major developments in the coverage studies program over the following 45 years. The last section will provide a detailed description of plans for 2011 including the Dwelling Classification Survey, the RRC and the Census Overcoverage Study.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the Census of Canada
    History of the Census of Canada 2.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/about-apropos/history-histoire-eng.cfm Table of contents Canada's early censuses The first census in Canada was initiated by Intendant Jean Talon in 1666. The census counted the colony's 3,215 inhabitants and recorded their age, sex, marital status and occupation. In light of the need for information to help plan and develop the Colony of New France, Talon did much of the data collection personally, visiting settlers throughout the colony. The years leading up to 1871 (Canada's first census) saw a long string of 98 colonial and regional censuses. During this period, notably in enumerations between 1710 and 1760, there was a particular need to collect information on housing stock and armaments such as muskets and swords owned by households. Previous censuses had been more concerned with raising taxes or armies and assessing resources. Later, as other needs arose, questions were added on livestock, crops, buildings, churches, grist mills and firearms. In 1765 for example, priorities included assessing the balance between Catholics and Protestants, and recording the number of Acadians, settlers, Aboriginals and Blacks. As a result of this census, new variables that included questions on race, religion and ethnic origin were introduced. The first census after Confederation Top of Page The first census of Canada was taken in 1871. According to The Census Act of May 12, 1870, census-taking was to take place no later than May 1st. Under Section 8 of the Constitution Act of 1867 (formerly the British North America Act), a census was to be taken in 1871 and every tenth year thereafter.
    [Show full text]
  • Census Map of Maple
    2011 Census Teacher’s Kit Teacher’s Guide Teacher’s Guide Introduction Enrichment This guide contains useful information for In addition to the enrichment exercises in each both teachers and students. The first few pages activity, here are some additional ideas: contain information specific to the teacher. The • Quick census facts can be reproduced and guide also includes background information on sent home with students to help spread the the Census of Population, a census vocabulary census message. and Quick census facts. For detailed information on the Census of Agriculture, please see • Motivate students to actively participate Activity 5. in the census by having them generate community awareness projects. Ask them for Teacher-ready activities have been divided their ideas on what they can do to make area into three suggested grade levels: elementary, residents aware of the upcoming census. intermediate, and senior. Some activities have classroom extensions to enrich students’ • A variety of school communications vehicles comprehension. could be used to generate awareness among the student body: announcements Overall objectives on the public address system, posters in • Encourage teachers and students to complete gymnasiums and school buses, messages the census questionnaire; ensure that they on the school’s cable TV or radio station, pass on this message to friends and families. displays on classroom bulletin boards, census stories in the school newspaper, and • Create awareness and understanding about announcements on the school’s website. the importance of the census and the information it will provide. Take a look at the 1911 Census of • Increase awareness among teachers and Canada (elementary level) students about census information as Students can examine a few pages from the a valuable tool for student and teacher 1911 Census of Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • CRESC Working Paper Series
    CRESC Working Paper Series Working Paper No. 37 Producing Population Dr Evelyn S. Ruppert CRESC, Open University October 2007 ISBN No. 978-1-905405-09-1 For further information: Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK Tel: +44 (0)1908 654458 Fax: +44 (0)1908 654488 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Web: www.cresc.ac.uk The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is gratefully acknowledged. CRESC Working Papers Producing Population Dr Evelyn S. Ruppert Visiting Senior Research Fellow CRESC, The Open University Abstract This paper develops a theoretical approach for understanding how the census has not only played a role in constructing population (census making) but also has simultaneously created subjects with the capacity to recognise themselves as members of a population (census taking). The ‘population’ is now generally considered something that is not discovered but constructed . But what is neglected is that the population is also produced one subject at a time. The paper provides an account of census taking as a practice of double identification (state-subject) through which subjects have gradually, and fitfully, acquired the capacity to recognise themselves as part of the population through the categories circulated by the census (subjectification) and the state has come to identify the subject and assemble the population (objectification). The approach is elaborated in an account of a particular moment in the creation of census subjects, the self-identification and discovery of individuals as ethnically ‘Canadian’ in the early part of the twentieth century.
    [Show full text]