Droits à l'autodétermination des peuples autochtones et droits des femmes : conflits et réconciliations
Although Aboriginal peoples have always resisted their ongoing colonization by the Canadian state, the consequences caused by the politics of assimilation are disastrous and, given their complexity, difficult to fully grasp. In the past fifty years, Native peoples' mobilization towards the recognition of their right to self-determination, focused on the renewal of cultural and political traditions, has been increasingly rising. However, many Native women's groups have been claiming for their right to equality to also be recognized, due to a fear that internalized patriarchy in Native communities may perpetuate their marginalization. Since multiple leaders of Aboriginal organizations have been hostile to the opposition towards the sexist dispositions of the Indian Act by the women's movements, a conflict between self-determination and women’s rights is shown to exist. This paper seeks to present the complexities of this conflict between two fundamental human rights and to explore the options necessary to adjudicate them. We cannot pretend that we have been entirely successful in finding a solution that will solve all problems nor that will be unanimously embraced. However, this paper claims that any project towards self-determination that is not grounded on serious and honest reflections concerning the interactions of colonialism, racism, and patriarchy may not allow a truly decolonized and liberating future for all Aboriginals. In this sense, Aboriginal feminism is essential to this project.
aboriginal feminism self-determination minorities cultural rights colonialism patriarchy