Review – Vernacular Sovereignties: Indigenous Women Challenging World Politics

Vernacular Sovereignties

The innovative process through which Indigenous women (re)shape legal authority, challenging colonial histories and patriarchal power structures.

Intersectionality

A theoretical framework for understanding how various social identities (such as gender, race, and class) intersect to create overlapping systems of oppression.

Definitional violence

The way certain identities and experiences are framed or defined, which can contribute to systemic oppression.

Kichwa women

Indigenous women from Ecuador who actively engage in world politics and advocate for gender parity and Indigenous rights.

Gender-based violence

Violence directed at an individual based on their gender, which encompasses various forms of oppression experienced by women.

Red Nacional de las Casas de Acogida

A national network of women’s shelters in Ecuador that aims to support women affected by gender-based violence.

Domestic violence

A pattern of abusive behavior in a domestic setting, which often remains stigmatized and relegated to the private sphere.

UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

An international instrument aimed at protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, including their cultural and political self-determination.

CEDAW

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, a key international treaty aimed at promoting women's rights.

Top-down models

Approaches in international relations that view the diffusion of norms and policies as occurring from higher to lower levels of authority.

Interlegality in reverse

A concept posited by Picq where local actors utilize international norms within their own cultural contexts to shape legal authority.

Legal triangulation

The interconnected legal framework established by Kichwa women, integrating international norms, constitutional rights, and Indigenous justice.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state or governing body to govern itself or another state; vernacular sovereignties challenge singular notions of this concept.

Multidimensional overlap

The concept that various forms of exclusion and oppression can intersect and coexist, compounding the experiences of affected individuals.

Empirical contributions

Findings based on observation or experience that provide evidence for theoretical claims, particularly within the context of Picq's research.

Colonial histories

The narratives and legacies stemming from colonial rule that influence contemporary power dynamics and social structures.

Self-determination

The process by which a group asserts its rights to govern itself and make decisions about its political and cultural practices.

Intersectional feminist theory

A framework that examines how various social identities intersect and influence individual experiences of oppression and privilege.

Indigenous justice

Legal systems and practices that are rooted in Indigenous customs and traditions, often in contrast or alongside state legal frameworks.

Defining violence against women

The necessity to clarify language around various types of violence to better include and address the needs of different groups affected by gender-based violence.

Global movements

Collective efforts that transcend national borders and aim to effect social change, often driven by marginalized communities, including Indigenous women.