Nunavut

This is an original book that many of us will want to use in our teaching and research right away. As the first study of political culture in Nunavut, it is very satisfying that so much information has been gathered and analysed. It will be of great interest to residents and students of Nunavut, and will certainly be used by the larger community of scholars interested in territorial political development, Indigenous governance, and the relationship of political and institutional change in general. -- Frances Abele, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University, and former Deputy Director of Research for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

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.

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.