Indigenous Peoples, Democratic Governance and Human Rights

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Indigenous Peoples, Democratic Governance and Human Rights

Type: Virtual

Language: Spanish

Level Education: Undergraduate/Graduate

Duration: 14 weeks

Presentation

During the past decade indigenous peoples have become one of the most active and visible groups in both the recovery of their rights and presentation of policies proposals, at a national and/or international level. They are organized in associations, cooperatives, NGOs, and political parties and mobilise around four broad main topics: a) Representation and political participation (definition of the State, regional decentralisation, and justice system reform); b) Land rights; c) Control of natural resources; and d) Preservation of language and traditional knowledge. In this sense, Latin America is the paradigm of a new social movement based on cultural rights and difference, where the primary demand has been to build a plural state based on dialogue between the different cultures that exist within the region.

This course introduces the study of indigenous peoples from the perspective of democratic governance and human rights in the context of Latin America.

Course Structure

The course is structured to be completed in 14 weeks and this includes 7 subject topics and 2 weeks for course introduction and closing. The introduction includes a course summary, and the closing unit invites participants to assess the course according to the below structure:

Unit 0	Introduction to the Virtual School System, the course and its context: Presentation and introduction to the School, course and classmates Understanding and using the virtual classroom Understanding and organization of learning resources
Unit 1	Definition and multicultural challenges of democracy The concept of “democracy” The five basic features of democracy Democracy and its relationship with multiculturalism The limitations and challenges of modern democracy Economic and social inequalities Inequalities in obtaining and exercising public power Inequalities in real opportunities for men and women, and the challenges of the feminist movement Citizenship and multiculturalism.
Unit 2	Introduction to the study of indigenous peoples, democratic governance and human rights The main elements of the definition of indigenous peoples. Origin and characteristics. Indigenous peoples as key actors in governance. Visible actors and protagonists. Legal framework for protecting indigenous rights
Unit 3	Diversity, Pluralism and Inter-culturalism The “problem” with the other Diversity and Ethnocentrism New inter-cultural spaces Multicultural pluralism Towards ethical inter-culturalism
Unit 4	Indigenous social movements in Latin America Background Main causes and factors of the rise of contemporary indigenous movements The deeper meaning of the rise of the indigenous movement. Consequences and impact
Unit 5	Indigenous autonomy and redefinition of the state The right to self-determination as the primary demand of indigenous movements The differences between community autonomy and regional autonomy Challenges to Indigenous Autonomy Advancing towards a new society
Unit 6	Indigenous issues, the United Nations and the human rights perspective Customary international law The participation of indigenous peoples in the United Nations and their political influence on the politics of member states. Direct Protection Mechanisms The perspective of human rights for development and for Indigenous Peoples
Unit 7	Traditional knowledge, intellectual property and indigenous peoples Intellectual property rights and protection of Traditional Knowledge Different forms of protecting Traditional Knowledge and related legal framework Legal contradictions
Closing Unit	Evaluation