Nation building

Welcome to another edition of ‘Tips from the Toolkit’, where we share valuable tips and insight from the Indigenous Governance Toolkit that can help you or your group with your governance journey.???

In this edition, we explore nation building and how this links to the goal of self-determination.?

Defining nation building

Nation building, also known as ‘nation rebuilding', refers to the processes by which an Indigenous nation enhances its own capacity for effective self-governance and self-determined community and economic development[1].?

Nation building is about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can create the tools they need to build the futures they want – and put them in place.?

The forms of nation building that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups undertake are diverse.?

Governance for nation building?

Governance for nation building is distinct from organisational or corporate governance.?

Organisational governance may be an element of nation building, and many First Nations are represented by corporations governed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.?

However, nation governance and corporate governance are different.?

Organisations may be accountable to external governments or funders in addition to their community. Interactions with state or federal governments are viewed as government-to-organisation.?

Governance for nation building, on the other hand, sees the nation accountable to its members. Unlike corporations, the aim is that interactions are viewed as government-to-government or nation-to-nation.?

The nation building puzzle

Miriam Jorgensen, Research Director of the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona, suggests looking at governance for nation building as part of a 3-piece ‘puzzle’[1]:?

1. Coming together as a nation is the first piece of the puzzle. It’s about identifying as a collective group who share a vision for their future and the future of their children.?
2. The second piece is governance. A nation must organise as a polity or a community with a collective political identity. It must have effective governing institutions and mechanisms to get things done – in a way that corresponds to the culture and values of the group. In other words, the nation’s governing bodies must be culturally legitimate.?
3. The third piece is what Jorgensen refers to as the ‘capacity’ of nations to achieve desired outcomes and collective goals. This may include formal and informal nation building activities. ?

For more nation building content, head to the Indigenous Governance Toolkit.?

#nationbuilding #indigenousgovernance #AIGI?

[1] Miriam Jorgensen, “Editor’s Introduction”, in Rebuilding Native Nations: Strategies for Governance and Development, ed. Miriam Jorgensen (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2007)