The Department of Political Studies Presents:

Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot - University of British Columbia

"Enhanced Participation of Indigenous Peoples at the UN: Pushing the Boundaries of Indigenous Rights, Statehood, and Human Rights Norms"

Thursday, March 23, 2023 | 2:30-4:00 PM

Robert Sutherland Hall, Room 202 | 138 Union Street, Kingston

Light refreshments will be served!

 

Dr. Lightfoot will be appearing via Zoom.  Attendees have the option to attend in person (in Robert Sutherland Hall, Room 202), OR to join the webinar via Zoom: Click here to register for the Zoom webinar

Abstract: 

Throughout the decades that Indigenous peoples have appeared at the UN, only two paths of participation have been available to them: representation by Member States, with whom they are often in conflict, or as non-governmental organizations. Indigenous peoples have not been allowed to represent themselves as nations at the UN. Indigenous peoples have been pushing for an independent status at the United Nations for some time. However, at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014, an important shift occurred, as states also committed to making this a reality. In practice, enhanced participation would mean that Indigenous groups, who organize and advocate for themselves in international space, without representing or being represented by states or NGOs, would be engaged in a form of global political self-determination distinct from already existing channels. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges involved in advancing Indigenous peoples’ participation in the UN General Assembly, based on original fieldwork where I have attended drafting and consultation meetings on enhanced Indigenous peoples’ participation.

Biography: 

Sheryl Lightfoot is Anishinaabe, a citizen of the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe, enrolled at the Keweenaw Bay Community. She is currently Vice Chair and North American Member on the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). She is Canada Research Chair in Global Indigenous Rights and Politics, and Associate Professor in Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs as well as a faculty associate in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies. She is also Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs and is leading the implementation of the 2020 Indigenous Strategic Plan across UBC and directs UBC’s Office of Indigenous Strategic Initiatives. She is currently serving as President of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA).

As one of the world’s experts in global Indigenous politics, Sheryl’s research specializes in complex questions of Indigenous peoples’ rights and how those rights are being claimed and negotiated. Her work explores both practical and theoretical aspects of implementation of Indigenous rights globally as well as in domestic contexts. She is the author of Global Indigenous Politics: A Subtle Revolution as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters.

She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota as well as a master’s degree from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Prior to her academic career, she had fifteen years’ volunteer and contract experience with a number of American Indian tribes and community-based organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, including nine years as Chair of the Board of the American Indian Policy Center, a research and advocacy group.

As a member of the UN Expert Mechanism Sheryl provides the Human Rights Council with expertise and advice on the implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Mechanism also assists Member States in achieving the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She is the first Indigenous woman from Canada to be appointed to this prestigious position.

The Department of Political Studies, the Electoral Integrity Project, the Institute for Intergovernmental Relations, and the School of Policy Studies present:

“Citizen Election Observers in Theory and Practice”

with Martyna Hoffman and Rebecca Wagner of the Electoral Integrity Project

Tuesday, March 21st, 12:00 – 1:30 pm

Robert Sutherland Hall, Room 202

*Light lunch provided

Abstract:

International election observation has become one of the key instruments of international democracy promotion. Less well known but equally widespread, however, are citizen observers. Yet the Copenhagen Document of 1990 and the Venice Commission of 2002 have affirmed that “the participating States consider that the presence of observers, both foreign and domestic, can enhance the electoral process in States where elections are held.” Against the backdrop of global democratic backsliding, this seminar will provide a historical overview of the origins of international and domestic election observation, as well as their fundamental norms and principles. Two empirical case studies will discuss recent developments and challenges in citizen election observation and its role in promoting citizen trust in elections. First, a case study will examine how citizen observers face restrictions and threats during elections, how they respond, and the role of trust in their ability to respond. Second, the case of Poland will be used to discuss the role that citizen observers can play in building trust in elections, and how their actions might be considered to have the opposite effect.

Biographies:

Rebecca Wagner is a doctoral researcher at the Peace Research Institute (PRIF) in Frankfurt where she conducts research on resistance and resilience, international democracy support, civil society and elections. Before joining PRIF, Rebecca gained more than seven years’ experience of international human rights and democracy support work, including participating in ODIHR /OSCE Election Observation Missions and serving as a civic observer. Her most recent election observation mission took her to the USA Midterm Elections in 2022. Rebecca Wagner is member of the research network External Democracy Promotion (EDP). She has degrees from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and the University of Konstanz, Germany.

Martyna Hoffman is a sociologist and PhD student at Nicolaus Copernicus University. Her research focuses on voting accessibility. She runs the research project "On the edge of democracy? Active suffrage practices of people in a situation of homelessness", funded by the Polish National Science Center. She collaborates with Political Accountability Foundation (Fundacja Odpowiedzialna Polityka) - a Polish NGO specialising in election observation. She completed her MA and BA in Sociology at Nicolaus Copernicus University.

Course Takeover: POLS 863 Race and International Politics

Launch of the New IR Resource Bank

February 16, 2023 | 11:30 am - 12:45 pm

Location: Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Room B313

Come join us for the launch of the new Resource Bank: Race, BIPOC and Global Perspectives in International Relations. The resource bank is a living document, developed on an ongoing basis as a collaborative initiative between IR Faculty and graduate students in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University, as well as collaborators from other institutions. This project was launched in the context of growing calls for diversification and decolonization of disciplinary practices in International Relations. This initiative is part of a broader reflexive moment and ongoing conversations among IR Faculty and students in the Department of Political Studies about the curriculum.

This course takeover will be an opportunity for graduate students to reflect on the past, present, and future of IR as a discipline. We will also invite POLS faculty, post-doctoral fellows, students, and staff in attendance to share their thoughts and offer feedback on the resource bank.

Those who join us are also welcome to stay for the remainder of the class session where students will be discussing critical race approaches to understanding IR’s disciplinary origins and its theories.

Chair: Yolande Bouka, Assistant Professor, POLS

Discussants:

• Badriyya Yusuf, PhD Candidate, POLS
• Fikir Haile, PhD Candidate, POLS
• Anthony O’Donnell, MA student, POLS

Light refreshments will be served. 

This new document has been added to the Resource Library on the Department of Political Studies website: General Resources: | Department of Political Studies (queensu.ca)

The School of Policy Studies and the Department of Political Studies Present:

A Research Talk with Leah West

"Privacy vs. Precaution: Responsible Use of AI-Driven Intelligence in Armed Conflict"

Monday, February 6, 2023 | 2:30-4:30 PM

Robert Sutherland Hall Room 202, 138 Union Street, Kingston

Abstract: The operational demands of modern armed conflict highlight a pressing need for AI-driven intelligence. Modern tools, like facial recognition technology, can help soldiers quickly identify enemy combatants and limit collateral damage. Yet, the widespread use of AI-enabled surveillance methods poses a serious threat to the privacy rights of non-combatants. This talk explores the tension between the quest for identity dominance promoted by international humanitarian law and the privacy rights of civilians living through an armed conflict. Dr. West will argue that despite this apparent conflict, the right to privacy and the principle of precaution apply concurrently in an armed conflict and offer a function-based approach to designing policies and procedures capable of adapting to meet the military’s evolving privacy obligations.

Biography: Leah West is an Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. She completed her SJD at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2020, where her research explored the application of criminal, constitutional and international law to state conduct in cyberspace. She is also the National Administrator of the Canadian National Rounds of the Phillip C Jessup International Law Moot, serves as Counsel with Friedman Mansour LLP, and was an inaugural McCain Institute National Security & Counterterrorism Fellow.

Leah is the co-author with Craig Forcese of National Security Law (Irwin Law, 2021, 2d Ed) and co-editor with Thomas Juneau and Amarnath Amarasingam of Stress Tested: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Canadian National Security (UCP, 2021). She is also the author of several peer-reviewed articles in Canadian and international journals on legal issues concerning national security and cyber operations, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of National Security Law & Policy, and Terrorism and Political Violence. She is a regular commentator on national security matters for Canadian and international media outlets and has testified before the House of Commons, the Senate, and the European Parliament.

Leah previously served as Counsel with the Department of Justice in the National Security Litigation and Advisory Group. She has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court in designated proceedings, and the Security Intelligence Review Committee. Before being called to the Ontario Bar in 2016, Leah clerked for the Honourable Justice Mosley of the Federal Court of Canada. A graduate of RMC, Leah served in the Canadian Armed Forces for ten years as an Armoured Officer; she deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.

Sunday, January 22, 2023 is the application deadline to apply for graduate programs (MA and PhD) with Queen's Department of Political Studies.  Visit our website for information about our graduate programs.

General information about our graduate programs: Graduate Studies

For more information about our MA programs: MA in Political Studies

For more information about our PhD programs: PhD Program

Admission requirements and how to apply: Applying

The Centre for the Study of Democracy and Diversity and the Department of Political Studies Present:

André Lecours - University of Ottawa

"Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy"

Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 2:30-4:00 PM

Dunning Hall Room 11, 94 University Avenue, Kingston

Light refreshments will be served!

Abstract: The strength of secessionism in liberal-democracies varies in time and space. Inspired by historical institutionalism, Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy argues that such variation is explained by the extent to which autonomy evolves in time. If autonomy adjusts to the changing identity, interests, and circumstances of an internal national community, nationalism is much less likely to be strongly secessionist than if autonomy is a final, unchangeable settlement. Developing a controlled comparison of, on the one hand, Catalonia and Scotland, where autonomy has been mostly static during key periods of time, and, on the other hand, Flanders and South Tyrol, where it has been dynamic, and also considering the Basque Country, Québec, and Puerto Rico as additional cases, this book puts forward an elegant theory of secessionism in liberal-democracies: dynamic autonomy staves off secessionism while static autonomy stimulates it.

Biography: André Lecours is a professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. His main research interests are Canadian politics, European politics, nationalism (with a focus on Quebec, Scotland, Flanders, Catalonia, and the Basque country) and federalism.  He is the author of Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy (Oxford University Press, 2021), Basque Nationalism and the Spanish State (University of Nevada Press, 2007), and the co-author (with Daniel Béland) of Nationalism and Social Policy: The Politics of Territorial Solidarity (Oxford University Press, 2008).  He is the editor of New Institutionalism: Theory and Analysis (University of Toronto Press, 2005).