Autonomy and minority groups: Different notions of autonomy and First Nations people
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
As a result of colonialism, many First Nations minorities have to a large extent lost their autonomy. They wish to be self-determined, but as a consequence of oppression, First Nations people have a deeply rooted mistrust of the state. This has made it more complex for the society to support autonomy for these groups. In this thesis my aim is to investigate how society can support autonomy for First Nations people - which notion(s) of autonomy is/are more applicable. As autonomy often refers to the liberal notion of autonomy with individualistic implications, some argue that autonomy is not applicable to groups. Therefore, I also explore the possibility whether the relational notion of autonomy is more relevant for supporting First Nations people autonomy. Even though I find liberal notion helpful for many minority groups, the relational notion has more applicable criteria in order to support autonomy for most minority groups as they define themselves through relations more than having individualistic interests. This is shown to be especially true for First Nations people. I have found that what distinguishes First Nations people from other minority groups is their connection to their land which can be explained through their spiritual notion of sovereignty. This profound connection defines who they are and the way they live. Therefore, I conclude that the relational notion is not sufficient to support autonomy for First Nations People, their spiritual connection with their land should also be considered.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. , p. 61
Keywords [en]
Autonomy, minority groups, First Nations people, Aboriginal and Torres straits people, Liberalism, relational autonomy, liberal notion of autonomy, sovereignty, illiberal minorities, ethnic minorities, group autonomy
National Category
Philosophy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-234640OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-234640DiVA, id: diva2:1931668
Subject / course
Philosophy
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-01-272025-01-272025-01-27Bibliographically approved