SELECTED THESES ON THE CIRCUMPOLAR ARCTIC

A number of Marxian-derived concepts on the modern state and capital are drawn upon to explore the argument that the continued disadvantaged socioeconomic position of the majority of the north's native population is primarily the result of the northern state's accumulation strategy set in motion during the 1950s. As part of this strategy, the state set out to provide a largely subsistence based Inuit, Indian and Métis population with southern styled community infrastructure, which included an educational system. The central thrust of the state's development strategy has failed for all but a small percentage of the native labour force. Since the mid-1970s, the state has increased its support for the subsistence economy. The state has taken the lead with affirmative action programs and is now the single largest employer of native people in the north.