Vol. 25 No. 1 (2025): Fourth World Journal
This Special Issue brings together a powerful collection of articles that explore the foundations, structure, and transformative potential of the Nations International Criminal Tribunal (NICT).
Emerging from decades of visionary leadership by Dr. Rudolph Rÿser and the Center for World Indigenous Studies, the NICT presents a vision of justice rooted in Indigenous sovereignty, collective memory, and decolonial legal frameworks. These contributions critically interrogate the failures of international law to protect Indigenous peoples, illuminate the development of alternative legal mechanisms, and propose a future of global justice centered on reparative, culturally grounded, and community-driven responses to systemic harms.
Each article reflects the lived experiences of nations long excluded from state-based legal systems and invites a profound reckoning with what true accountability and reparative justice require.
This Special Issue also marks an expansion of our editorial vision. For the first time, we include a poetic piece and a journalistic essay—works that speak through analysis and embodiment, intuition, and image. These contributions underscore our belief that the art of noticing—paying attention deeply and with care—is a form of scholarship. In alignment with this ethos and our continued commitment to accessibility and reciprocity, we are proud to make this and all future issues of FWJ fully open access.
These pieces highlight the depth and scope of Indigenous thought and action. They challenge us to reconsider the foundations of international law and to support systems of accountability that recognize the full humanity and sovereignty of Fourth World nations.
Our mission and most profound concern is to uphold Indigenous knowledge systems as living arts and sciences, creative forces, and ways of being that shape a more just and conscious future.
Understanding the critical role accountability structures play in Indigenous sovereignty and survival, we are honored to dedicate this issue to the ongoing fights for justice surrounding the Nations International Criminal Tribunal.