Partnership in Action? Indigenous Political Mobilization and Co- optation During the First UN Indigenous Decade (1995-2004) ∗

Abstract

This article critically examines the effectiveness of emergent transnational rights networks during the first United Nations (UN) Decade (1995-2004). Keck and Sikkink's five-part model is utilized in the analysis but is found to be inadequate when gauging the overall effective ness of political mobilization during the first UN decade. A sixth factor, co-optation, better explains the impacts of mainstreaming rights within the UN system (through blunting and channeling processes) and the subsequent shortcomings of the first UN Decade. Potential future strategies for global political mobiliza tion outside of the UN system are discussed. * Jeff Corntassel (Cherokee Nation) is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Advisor in the In digenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria. His main research and teaching interests include global indigenous rights, indigenous political mobilization/self-determina tion movements, and international law/organizations. He is currently completing an edited book volume with Tom Holm entitled The Power of Peoplehood: Contemporary Community-Building (forthcoming, University of Texas Press). Wado (thank you) to Laura Parisi, Taiaiake Alfred, Mary K. Meyer, Yedda Wang, and the students/faculty from the Political Science/Indigenous Governance Programs graduate seminar on Indigenous Resistance & Resurgence (January/2006) held at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa for their comments and insights on earlier versions of this work. An earlier version of this article was presented at the International Studies Association annual confer ence, March 2005, Honolulu, Hawaii. Human Rights Quarterly 29 (2007) 137-166 ? 2007 by The Johns Hopkins University Press This content downloaded from 157.55.39.167 on Sun, 10 Apr 2016 05:29:41 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 138 HUMAN RIGHTS QUARTERLY Vol. 29

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