Since the first edition of the No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples was published in 2003, much has changed. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous rights have become an increasingly important subject in international law, with Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, arguing on the international stage from an indigenous perspective, and introducing policies benefiting indigenous communities through land reforms and redistribution of wealth. Moreover, there has been a surge in indigenous activism and advocacy, with the growth of a global indigenous rights industry, the effects of which are not always positive. This updated edition reflects the changing context and examines the developments as well as the tensions and contradictions, and includes as many direct voices as possible.

Lotte Hughes is a freelance journalist and historian, with a particular interest in the Maasai of east Africa and oral history. She has written about development and human rights issues for newspapers and NGOs and won the John Morgan Writing Award.

Lotte Hughes' profile page