The Cliche of Resilience: Governing Indigeneity in the Arctic

The end of 2016 saw the publication of the Arctic Resilience Report. The report is the final product of the Arctic Resilience Assessment, a project launched by the Swedish Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which ran from 2011 until 2013, and was preceded by the Arctic Resilience Interim Report of 2013. Resilience, as the report defines it, and as has become the norm in resilience research worldwide, refers to the capacities of humans, as well as all living systems, to absorb and adapt to the shocks generated by disastrous events, and to respond to them by either maintaining or changing one's form, evolving with the events, and potentially growing stronger as a result. Indeed, policy-makers the world over, concerned as they currently are with attempting to formulate policies designed to help people cope with the coming era of disasters portended by climate change, are attracted to indigenous peoples on account of their perceived ability to live in a state of permanent crisis.