Since the early contact between Europeans and Inuit citizens in Nunavut, these communities have experienced transformative changes in regards to their traditional lifestyle due to the prominent role of extractive activities by foreigners. Although the Nunavut Land Claim Agree- ment (NLCA), which gave Inuit citizens more power on self-determining the use of their lands, was signed in 1993, recent cases such as the nearly seismic testing in Clyde River and the current possible expansion of the Mary River mine question the actual decision-making power Inuit communities have in deciding which projects should take place in their traditional lands. As a result, Postcolonial and Green Theories of International Relations have been used in order to provide a theoretical framework to encapsulate the ongoing dependency of Nunavut towards the Government of Canada and how this position situates Inuit to become more vulnerable to the social, economical and cultural impacts of the degeneration of the Arctic environment. Consequently, this paper argues that there currently exists a controversial relation-ship between the industry, which provides many jobs and sources of income to Inuit, and the need of these indigenous people to protect their lands from environmental degradation derived from mining. However, recent activism by Inuit communities and the future decisions taken by the Federal Government and the Government of Nunavut will be decisive in providing reconciliation and reaffirming Inuit right to self-determination.

Projecte/Treball fi de carrera o de grau

English

Inuit

Nunavut

Canvi social

Canadà

Relacions internacionals

TFG

90 p.

TFG del Grau en Relacions Internacionals tutoritzat per Mariona Lloret Rodà