The chapter examines the emergence of the Inuit homeland in Canada–Inuit Nunangat–and the steps Inuit have taken to establish a national presence in Canada. It begins with an overview of the scholarship on cartography followed by the ways in which successive Canadian governments have sought to reshape the North in the decades after World War II. The chapter then discusses the rise of the national Inuit association, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), and the efforts of ITK to develop the concept of Inuit Nunangat as a common territorial and political space.

Nadine Fabbi is managing director of the Canadian Studies Center. Gary Wilson is a professor of political science and coordinator of the Northern Studies Program at the University of Northern British Columbia. 

“The book considers regional, social, and cultural differences as well as the shared histories and common cultural practices that allow us to recognize Inuit as a single, distinct Indigenous people … the book in an invaluable resource for students and researchers in anthropology, Indigenous studies, and Arctic studies and those in related fields including geography, history, sociology, political sciences and education.”

Pamela Stern is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Simon Fraser University. A copy of the book can be ordered from Routledge Press.