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Will Kymlicka's Liberal Theory of Multiculturalism a Case Study Of

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Will Kymlicka's Liberal Theory of Multiculturalism a Case Study Of Will Kymlicka’s Liberal Theory of Multiculturalism A case study of Greenland Anne Cecilie Gynther Bechmann Human Rights Bachelor Thesis 12 credits Spring semester 2021 Supervisor: Jon Wittrock ABSTRACT The Inuit people in Greenland are internationally recognized as indigenous. They, therefore, have been granted protective measures, such as self-government rights in 2009. However, some scholars have started to question whether protective measures are still a necessity because of their increased autonomy rights. To contest this questioning, this paper examines the contemporary political discourse in Greenland regarding the Inuit people’s emphasis on their cultural heritage, ongoing identity issues, and aspirations of independence, in the light of Will Kymlicka’s liberal theory of multiculturalism. The paper concludes that the Inuit people in Greenland, to a large extent, apply to Kymlicka’s theory regarding his criteria of national minorities and the importance of belonging to a societal culture. However, the study also finds that his theory is limited in protecting potential sub-cultures and lacks nuances about secessionist thoughts among indigenous groups. The results underline the importance of continuingly protect indigenous peoples in Greenland and suggests considering additional measures to other minorities on the island. Key words: Greenland, Inuit, indigenous, identity, independence, multiculturalism. Word count: 13.886 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Historical overview......................................................................................................................... 4 2.2. Special protection ........................................................................................................................... 6 2.3. Definition of indigenous peoples ................................................................................................... 7 2.4. Inuit as indigenous ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.5. Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 8 3. THEORY ......................................................................................................................................... 10 3.1. Patterns of cultural diversity: national minorities ...................................................................... 10 3.2. Societal Culture ............................................................................................................................ 11 3.3. Group-differentiated Rights ......................................................................................................... 12 3.4. Arguments in favour of group-differentiated rights ................................................................... 14 3.5. Ties that bind ................................................................................................................................ 15 3.6. Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 16 4. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.1. Method .......................................................................................................................................... 17 4.2. Case and material selection ......................................................................................................... 19 4.3. Validity and Reliability ................................................................................................................ 20 5. ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................... 22 5.1. Patterns of cultural diversity: national minorities ............................................................................. 22 5.2. The societal culture of Greenland and its importance ................................................................ 26 5.3. Group-differentiated rights .......................................................................................................... 30 5.4. Independence ............................................................................................................................... 32 5.5. Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 35 6. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 37 6.1. Suggestions for future research .......................................................................................................... 39 REFERENCE LIST .................................................................................................................................. 40 Primary sources .......................................................................................................................................... 40 Secondary sources ...................................................................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX – QUOTES FROM PUBLICATIONS IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ................................... 44 1. Coalition Agreement, 2021 ............................................................................................................... 44 2. Prime minister Kuupik Kleist, speech at the implementation of the Self-Government Act, 2009 .. 46 3. Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), Election video, 2021 ...................................................................................... 46 4. Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), Party Program, 2019-2023 ........................................................................... 47 5. Inuit Ataqatigiit Folketingimi, 2019, Opening speech at the parliamentary year 2019-2020 ........ 47 1. INTRODUCTION Around 90 percent of the 56.241 population in Greenland perceive themselves as being Inuit (Statistics Greenland, 2021; Moltke et al., 2015) – recognized by Denmark and internationally as indigenous peoples. The Inuit have throughout colonial times been deprived of their land, resources, and cultural practices by the Danish people and government, whose norms and standards are still affecting the Greenlandic society today. In 1996 Denmark ratified the ILO Convention No. 169 (the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. This was done to protect the fundamental rights of the Inuit people and their cultural identity and mend some of the harm done to them during colonialism (Parellada et al., 2008). However, some scholars and activists argue that there still exists a post-colonial tendency to neglect the Greenlandic people's full autonomy rights and that there is a continuous need for special protection of the Inuit population (Bjørst, 2015; Nuttall, 2009; Kuokkanen, 2017). An increased interest in the Arctic region in the past decade has further problematized the protection of the Inuit people. Countries such as the United States, Russia, and China have all expressed great interest in Greenland due to both its desirable military position and unexplored possibilities of natural resources, as well as new sailing routes produced by climate change (Breum, 2013:7-18). The Inuit people now find themselves in the middle of negotiations between the international arena, Denmark, and the Greenlandic government, about access to these resources, which could affect land rights and their fundamental human rights. In the meantime, the indigenous population is also grappling with their identity influenced greatly by the Danish culture (Lynge, 2006; Breum, 2014:11-17). A recent snap election, turning Greenland in a new political direction, current debates about the protection of the cultural heritage in Greenland, and the population’s aspiration of independence, further suggests the topic of indigenous rights to be highly relevant to investigate. Among others, scholars are advocating a greater concern for the indigenous population in Greenland. They have urged the Greenlandic government to, for example, think twice before allowing a more controversial mining extraction of uranium, which could harm the environment and smaller Greenlandic settlements, thus impacting the indigenous communities (Bjørst, 2015; Kuokkanen, 2017). 1 On the other hand, some studies have started to question the Inuit people’s status as indigenous since Greenland has been granted self-government rights, established its own parliament, and taken up the majority vote in decision-making processes (Barten & Mortensen, 2016; Hansen, 2015; Johnstone, 2020). This thesis intends to contest this questioning of the Inuit people’s recognition as a group in need of protection by using Will Kymlicka’s liberal theory of multiculturalism. Will Kymlicka is known for emphasizing cultural minorities, whom he suggests should be protected by group-specific rights if they fulfill certain criteria. He contends that
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