Rapid industrial development and urban growth increasingly threaten indigenous peoples and their ways of life. As a result, a grassroots movement is spreading among indigenous cultures, and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit catalyzed a UN legal investigation. Indigenous Peoples challenges the assumption that these processes are empowering indigenous peoples in tangible ways by examining the ongoing work, and offers a detailed analysis of the legal, political and institutional implications. This volume is an engaging study of the issues involved in indigenous peoples' rights.