Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy

This book examines how Indigenous Peoples around the world are demanding greater data sovereignty, and challenging the ways in which governments have historically used Indigenous data to develop policies and programs.

In the digital age, governments are increasingly dependent on data and data analytics to inform their policies and decision-making. However, Indigenous Peoples have often been the unwilling targets of policy interventions and have had little say over the collection, use and application of data about them, their lands and cultures. At the heart of Indigenous Peoples’ demands for change are the enduring aspirations of self-determination over their institutions, resources, knowledge and information systems.

With contributors from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, North and South America and Europe, this book offers a rich account of the potential for Indigenous data sovereignty to support human flourishing and to protect against the ever-growing threats of data-related risks and harms.

The Open Access version of this book, available at

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429273957, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

Maggie Walter (Palawa) (PhD, FASSA) is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Publishing extensively in the field of Indigenous Data, including Indigenous Statistics (with C. Andersen 2013 Routledge), Maggie is a founding member of the Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.

Tahu Kukutai (Ngāti Tiipa, Ngāti Kinohaku, Te Aupōuri) (PhD) is Professor of Demography at the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, Aotearoa New Zealand. She co-edited Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Toward an Agenda and is a founding member of the Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.

Stephanie Russo Carroll (Ahtna-Native Village of Kluti-Kaah, Sicilian-descent) (DrPH, MPH) is Assistant Professor of Public Health and Associate Director for the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona, USA. A researcher active at the nexus of Indigenous governance, the environment, community wellness and data, Stephanie co-founded the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network and is a founding member and chair of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.

Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear (Northern Cheyenne and Chicana) (PhD) is a social demographer who researches the intersection of Indigenous erasure, data and inequality. She is Assistant Professor of Sociology and American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Desi co-founded the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network and is a founding member of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.