Cultural genocide in international context

Abstract

As human rights concerns have become central to discourses of indigeneity and ethnicity in Asian states, indigenous and minority activists have borrowed from international law the concept of cultural genocide. The origin of the concept in a universalistic discourse and its deployment in ethnic politics on every continent allow representations of cultural genocide to be used both to mobilize the putatively affected peoples and to enlist the support of international elites and activists. Whether found in international agencies, national parliaments, human rights Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), or solidarity groups, global elites and activists are perceived as key bases of potential sustenance for political formations among aggrieved indigenous and ethnic minority communities.