ATS3180 Pacific Indigenous politics

In this unit, you will examine the interaction between international law, regional governance, and Indigenous sovereignty across Australasia and the Pacific. You will analyse how Indigenous peoples engage with international legal frameworks, including human rights regimes, environmental law, maritime law, and regional diplomacy, to assert political authority and claims to self-determination. The unit foregrounds the experiences and perspectives of First Nations Peoples in Australia, Māori Peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Indigenous Peoples across the Pacific Islands region.

You will critically examine settler-colonial legal systems, debates over constitutional reform, the implications of climate-induced displacement, and emerging Pacific Indigenous diplomacy.