International Political Science Association, dedicated to the study of Indigenous Politics.

RC53 aims to advance the study of Indigenous politics and provide a base for expanding Indigenous worldviews and philosophies as alternative venues within modern political science.

RC53 strives to create a permanent hub for communication, collaboration, and deliberation for a sustainable international community of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars of Indigenous politics, while actively promoting Indigenous scholarship.

The committee promotes theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous work, including but not limited to:

  •  Political science analyses of Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and nationhood across diverse contexts.
  • Indigenous governance systems, treaty relations, and the evolving dynamics of Indigenous–state relations.
  • Indigenous contributions to food sovereignty and security, including the political economy of land, resources, and traditional knowledge systems. 
  •  Environmental justice and climate governance, with particular attention to Indigenous stewardship and resistance to ecological dispossession.
  •  Indigenous political representation and participation, spanning both institutional engagement and contentious politics.
  •  Indigenous data sovereignty and the politics of knowledge production and ownership.
  • Indigenous political theory, including normative frameworks rooted in Indigenous epistemologies, decolonial thought, and critiques of Western political concepts.
  •  Indigenous rights in international law and international organisations.
  •  Gender, intersectionality, and leadership within Indigenous politics, including the roles of women, youth, and Two-Spirit/LGBTQ+ actors.
  •  Comparative and transnational perspectives on colonial legacies, reconciliation processes, and state–Indigenous relations.