Sacred Sites Protection and Indigenous Women's Activism

Empowering Grassroots Social Movements to Influence Public Policy. A Look into the "Women of Standing Rock" and "Idle No More" Indigenous Movements

Bibliographic Data

ID3299490
AuthorsFrancesca Gottardi (0000-0002-0152-6894, University of Cincinnati, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume11
Issue8
Pages380
Publication date2020-07-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel11080380
OpenAlexW3045019120
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited14

Religion and public policy are interconnected across a variety of issues. One aspect where this linkage has been understudied is religion and Indigenous sacred sites protection. This article aims to address this gap by analyzing how Indigenous women's activism advances this cause. The focus is on how Indigenous Peoples, specifically women, use grassroots activism to provoke change on public policy in the context of the protection of Indigenous sacred sites. Two case studies are used to illustrate this concept: the American "Women of Standing Rock" and the Canadian "Idle No More" grassroots social movements. My analysis draws from interpretative methods. Interpretative research revolves around the concept of individuals as active producers of meaning. The women-led grassroots social movements at issue highlight a fundamental lack of awareness of the historical and current struggles of Indigenous Peoples, both in the US and Canada. Modern technologies and social media provide democratic means for grassroots social movements to be heard and empowered. The growing movement by Indigenous women to assert their rights, and their quest for self-determination in land use and sacred sites protection create a positive discourse that advances Indigenous women's position in crossing the obstacles onto "institutional places of privilege," hence influencing public policy

Grassroots · Human rights · Indigenous · Indigenous rights · Policy advocacy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social movement · Sociology · Gender Studies · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law · Public Administration · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development

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Open DOIOpen Access