Mr Binota Dhamai

Binota Moy Dhamai is a Research Fellow at the School of Law, College of Law, Governance & Policy, Australian National University. His research focuses on the examination of comparative legal issues related to a group of Indigenous Peoples currently living in a colonised situation. He works with Distinguished Professor Asmi Wood.  Prior to that, he served as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) and worked on an Australian Research Council grant project titled “Investigating barriers and pathways to commercial development of Indigenous traditional medicines” to investigate Indigenous governance systems and representative structures, the capacity of national regulatory frameworks for the protection of traditional knowledge, and, for example, the expectations of stakeholders and Indigenous bodies in commercialising traditional medicines. 

With over 24 years of experience working with Indigenous Peoples organisations in Asia regionally and globally, Binota focuses on Indigenous Peoples rights and the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Binota specialises in Indigenous Peoples: politics, empowerment, and global governance.

As an expert member of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), Binota provides advice to the UN Human Rights Council on Indigenous Peoples' human rights and achieving the goals of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has worked on Indigenous Peoples issues such as autonomy, self-determination, traditional governance, land and territorial rights, demilitarisation, and Indigenous Peoples rights in post-conflict situations, and he has played leadership roles and taken on responsibilities in networking, campaigning, and advocacy at various levels.

Binota holds a PhD in Regulation and Global Governance from the Australian National University, a master's in Environmental Management and Development from the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, and a master's and bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of Dhaka.

Research Interests

Binota's upbringing through his proud Indigenous identity, Tripura, and his work experience on the rights and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples have shaped his research interests.

• Politics and identity of Indigenous Peoples.
• Colonialism, post-coloniality, nation-states, and their respective practices.
• Indigenous Peoples rights in post-conflict situations.
• Indigenous Peoples’ autonomy, Indigenous governance, and self-determination.
• Treaties and agreements between the state and Indigenous Peoples.
• Indigenous Peoples justice system.