Lateral violence: Effects of external pressures on Indigenous communities

Lateral violence: Effects of external pressures on Indigenous communities

Indigenous peoples

Kristen Walker

Kristina Sehlin MacNeil, Andrew Taylor, Sophie Thériault, Séverine Bouard, Thierry Rodon, Arn Keeling

Mining and Indigenous Livelihoods

2025

Taylor & Francis

Book chapter

English

9781040134542

Open Access

Intragroup conflict, or lateral violence, in Indigenous and local communities is a heated topic. While there is some research on lateral violence in Indigenous communities in Australia, there is currently no such research in Sámi and local communities in Sweden. This chapter explores manifestations and underlying causes of lateral violence, using analysis based on cultural, structural, and extractive violence, and employs an international comparative approach to discuss situations in the Swedish part of Sápmi compared to those in Australia. The Sámi are the Indigenous People of Sweden. Many Sámi communities are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain traditional livelihoods such as reindeer herding. This creates external pressures for Sámi communities and can contribute to increased intragroup conflict. First Australian communities also experience external pressures caused by extractivism. This chapter theorizes that there is a strong connection between external pressures caused by extractive activities on Indigenous lands and lateral violence in Indigenous and local communities, and suggests that by addressing the causes of lateral violence, conflict transformation—where both the contextual and relational aspects of conflicts are emphasized—could be a way forward.