Critiquing the SNIJ Hypothesis with Corsica and Hawai'i

Abstract

This article incorporates an island Indigenous perspective into a discussion of the popular sub-national island jurisdiction (SNIJ) hypothesis that focuses on cultural and political aspects. Corsica and Hawai'i both fit the SNIJ profile; but, in each case, the island Indigenous population is excluded from the benefits that accrue to affiliated islands. An Indigenous perspective on the question of affiliation includes consideration of cultural factors like language and identity in addition to political elements like sovereignty, independence, and affiliation. Any SNIJ or independent small island that bears a colonial history requires accounting for the island Indigenous populations as distinct elements. Corsicans and Hawaiians alike have suffered loss of language, land, and lifeways since their transitions from independence to dependency, demonstrating that measures beyond the economic and sociodemographic need to be taken into account when determining the well-being of an island territory in its particular stage of decolonization.

Indigenous Island Autonomy and Special Economic Zone Status: Developmental tensions of Jeju Free International City, South Korea

“…This is highlighted by cases in which the securing of greater legal rights in some areas can be seen as placing Indigenous autonomy and values at risk (Vézina, 2020). Discussion of SNIJ autonomy frequently overlooks or conceals the distribution of benefits and hazards among Indigenous and settler populations (Androus & Greymorning, 2016). Meanwhile, the metropolitan tendency to see certain kinds of islands primarily in terms of their geostrategic importance means that many colonised SNIJs have been extensively or even comprehensively militarised or carceralised, notwithstanding their Indigenous societies or purported autonomous statuses Na'puti, ; Grydehøj et al, 2021;Flint, 2021;Gonzalez, 2020;Fuggle, 2022Fuggle, , 2021.…”

“…The provincial government has made many questionable decisions, and JDC is deeply entwined with Jeju's political and business elites (Lee, 2020). Furthermore, as the number of Korean immigrants to Jeju grows, and Jeju natives progressively lose demographic power, difficult questions arise, questions that are familiar from so many island societies with settler colonial histories (Androus & Greymorning, 2016).…”