2012 John McMenemy Prize

Winner: Fiona MacDonald

Indigenous Peoples and Neoliberal ‘Privatization’ in Canada: Opportunities, Cautions and Constraints , Canadian Journal of Political Science 44:2

Excerpt from jury report: In this innovative study, MacDonald explores the significant challenges of Indigeneous governance in light of growing demands for justice and progressive change. Arguing that state responses to Indigenous demands are now framed within a neoliberal context, MacDonald contends that this approach is highly regressive and unlikely to result in truly transformative change. Neoliberalism is suggested to shift social policy from a holistic, capacity-building exercise for Aboriginal governance to a significantly narrower terrain that is counter-productive for Indigenous autonomy. Using narrative and discourse analysis and the case of child welfare devolution in Manitoba, MacDonald contends that neoliberalism, because it shifts contentious issues out of the public sphere and limits collective dialogue, is counter-productive for facilitating just Indigenous-state relations.