North America: Quebec and Alaska

This chapter discusses two examples of differing historical crises. The two crises have been inserted into a single chapter as they are both located in North America, but there is no substantive connection between the two. The first example evaluates the period in which Quebec nationalism collapsed into political violence and how the crisis was dissipated with the help of constitutional reforms. This period lasted from 1968 until 1974 and included 63 terrorist attacks. The second example discusses the effects of the ongoing genocide of Alaskan Native women and its effect on the perception of the legitimacy of US central institutions in Alaska. Canada: The 1960s’ Quebec crisis coincided with an increasing level of Quebec nationalism. During this period of social instability, the Front de la Libération du Québec conducted a series of violent attacks which culminated in the kidnapping and killing of a Quebec cabinet minister. This part of the chapter explains that the Canadian constitutional system at the time did not recognise the transformation of the Québécois identity. The United States: This part of the chapter discusses the epidemic of violence against Alaskan Native women in Alaska. It is another case of a post-colonial genocide with cognition that is distinctively regional. The chapter describes two elements, among many, that are currently altering the crisis. The first driver of change is the legal framework in which Native American and Alaskan territorial institutions operate. The second is the distinctive identity-formation process of the Alaskan Native communities. Violence against Native women is perceived as a manifestation of colonial exploitation that has a negative effect on the perception of the legitimacy of central institutions. The chapter explains how the recent enactment of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act 2022 seeks to grapple with the issue by empowering Alaska Native institutions.