Twenty-fourth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This project explores the impacts of democratic Identity and recognition politics on sustainable development (SD). As sustainable development returns to attract worldwide attention, political scientists seemly remain silent. Political studies can contribute to pursuing sustainable development goals by having self-interest “rightly understood” and identifying the leverage points for system change from a complex system perspective. Specifically, this research examines how identity and recognition politics, the core democratic issues, may impact the practices of SD. It cites the cases of Ainu in Hokkaido, Japan, and Atayal in New Taipei, Taiwan, to show how such soft ingredients as cultural traditions and value systems can catalyze indigenous initiatives toward sustainability transition. The challenges and the experimented solutions are also analyzed in the cross-country comparison.