MES Major Papers

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Beyond the Politics of Recognition: Settler Colonial Development & Urban Aboriginal Self-Determination in Toronto
(2014) Alderson, Aedan; Kipfer, Stefan
This major paper explores the role that settler colonization has had in the ongoing struggles of local Aboriginal communities in Toronto. In order to explore arguments for Aboriginal rights in the city, the main research questions that this paper addresses are: What does urban Aboriginal self-determination look like? What can a closer examination of Toronto's Indigenous and colonial history tell us about the context of present day urban Aboriginal struggles in the city? How can Torontonians move beyond the politics of relying on settler recognition of Aboriginal rights and towards a multilateral form of development on Indigenous land? By framing this paper around the argument that Indigenous sovereignty precedes - and therefore could not flow from - the politics of recognition between the Canadian and Indigenous nations, this project attempts to transgress boundaries that some might consider settled in Toronto.