Save the Date
Call for Papers

13th Annual American Indian Studies Association Conference
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
February 2-3, 2012

Conference Theme:

Making the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Work
for Tribal Communities


For over thirty years indigenous peoples from around the world sought to negotiate an international document that recognized indigenous human rights. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was passed by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007. The document introduced emphasis on collective human rights as an avenue for indigenous peoples to assert protections and recovery of land, culture, government, intellectual property, language, art, civil rights, education rights, employment, health, and other issues. Indigenous peoples recovered tools to combat discrimination and marginalization. The passage of the UNDRIP by the UN General Assembly is a moral document, and is not enforceable, except by the agreement and willingness of the nation states that accept the declaration. The implementation and interpretation of the UNDRIP is left to individual nation states to decide and implement. Nation states can support the UNDRIP by enacting and enforcing laws that support the letter and intent of UNDRIP. Indigenous peoples need to be informed, supported, mobilized and willing to negotiate with nations states to acknowledge and uphold their collective human rights. Indigenous individuals and tribal communities need to understand how to implement the articles of the declaration for their legal, political, and cultural benefit.

The theme of the conference is to explain, understand, implement, and critique the UNDRIP. What are its strengths? What are the possible ways of implementing the articles of UNDRIP? Are there case studies of successful implementation of UNDRIP? Are there developing legal practice and case law about UNDRIP actions? What are the weaknesses of implementing UNDRIP? What are the prospects for implementation of UNDRIP locally, nationally and internationally? What are tribal interpretations of UNDRIP? Do tribal communities and peoples believe that UNDRIP represents their interests? How do tribal communities want to see UNDRIP implemented to protect their land, cultures, and forms of self-government?

Papers
The organizers of the AISA Conference welcome proposals for paper presentations, panel presentations, and workshops on the following topics:

The Indigenous Peoplesน Movement
History of the UNDRIP
Cases Studies of Implementation of UNDRIP
Legal Cases Utilizing UNDRIP
Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights
Civil Rights, Human Rights, and the UNDRIP
Tribal Perspectives on Specific Articles of UNDRIP
Land Rights and UNDRIP Protections
Education Rights and UNDRIP
Language Preservation and UNDRIP
Employment and UNDRIP
Health and UNDRIP
Self-Government and UNDRIP
Nation State Reform and UNDRIP
American Indian Studies Implementing UNDRIP Programs
Any panel related to UNDRIP Issues
Any panel concerning Indigenous Issues


Please send paper and panel submissions to:

Elizabeth P. Martos, Coordinator
American Indian Studies
P.O. Box 874603
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-4603

Email: elizabeth.martos@asu.edu

Please send paper and panel submissions in digital format. Please give a paragraph describing the panel theme, and a list of panel participants, their address and email information, and a 200 word paper abstract. Please submit paper and panel proposals by December 15, 2011.