Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Global Governance

Program Name/Specialization

Conflict and Security

Faculty/School

School of International Policy and Governance

First Advisor

Dr. Alex Latta

Advisor Role

Supervisor

Second Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Spence

Advisor Role

Committee Member

Third Advisor

Dr. Derek Armitage

Advisor Role

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Debora VanNijnatten

Advisor Role

Committee Member

Abstract

For the peoples and communities who have lived in the Arctic since time immemorial, Arctic governance is not only about international cooperation, environmental management, or geopolitical competition. It is also about sustaining and advocating for Indigenous livelihoods, relationships with land and water, rights and responsibilities, and opportunities for future generations – all themes directly affected by political decisions made across local, regional, national, and international levels. This dissertation begins from a central question about how Indigenous Peoples exercise their agency and influence in Arctic governance despite operating within an international system largely organized around states. It examines this phenomenon by paying particular attention to the role and influence of the six Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council. Operating from the premise that local and global dynamics in the Arctic are deeply connected, while also recognizing the specific role of Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in shaping circumpolar dialogue, the dissertation asks: What pathways of influence have Indigenous Peoples’ organizations harnessed in Arctic governance? To what extent have Indigenous Peoples’ organizations shaped the institutions, norms, and practices through which Arctic governance operates? And, what are the wider implications for how we understand the nature and potential of Indigenous agency in international relations?

A constructivist lens is applied throughout the dissertation to help answer these questions. Constructivism is a perspective in International Relations that helps to describe how governance structures and actors continuously influence one another to arrange and define the world we live in. This lens helps to articulate how Indigenous Peoples have influenced the structure and practices of Arctic governance, particularly in terms of how local-level worldviews and priorities shape both circumpolar and international politics and governance arrangements. The “pathways of influence” analyzed in this dissertation collectively support a central argument: that Indigenous Peoples organizations are co-constitutive actors in Arctic governance, whose consistent and sustained advocacy – exercised inside organizations like the Arctic Council and through structured relationships with states and other actors – have helped produce the institutional identity, legitimacy and resilience exercised by the Council, as well as the norms and outcomes that are often considered unique characteristics of Arctic governance. This has resulted in varying degrees of co-governance between states, Indigenous Peoples, and other actors at the circumpolar level, discussed specifically here in terms of the Arctic Council and strategic partnerships with states.

Convocation Year

2027

Convocation Season

Spring

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