scholarly journals The Lifeworlds of Law: On Revitalizing Indigenous Legal Orders Today

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Mills
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Constitutional Order ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
Liberal Constitutionalism ◽  
Intensive Course

What ultimately counts as law and as the legitimate processes of its generation, adjustment, and destruction are both empowered and constrained by the constitutional order from which they derive life. A constitutional framework, in turn, reflects unique understandings about what there is and how one can know: a lifeworld. Reflecting on his own experience, the author emphasizes how legal education harms when it fails to acknowledge and to begin to articulate the lifeworld beneath any system of law it aims to impart. There are serious questions to be taken up in considering whether we may move law between constitutional contexts without subjugating the law of one community to the lifeworld of another. The author asserts this is particularly important with respect to Canadian law schools’ recent interest in teaching Indigenous peoples’ own systems of law. He argues that Canadian (liberal) and Indigenous (what he calls “rooted”) constitutionalisms are not only different, but different in kind. As such, efforts to articulate Indigenous law within the forms of liberal constitutionalism ignore or trivialize the ongoing significance of Indigenous lifeworlds to governance of Indigenous lives today. Many Indigenous legal scholars are adverting to this tension, moving on from simply making space for Indigenous law in the academy to asking whether and how this may be done. The author briefly canvasses Indigenous theorists (students, professors, lawyers, and elders) whose works present Indigenous systems of law within their own lifeworlds. Tracking the lifeworld-law relationship, he proposes three reforms to legal education in Canada: (1) teach that all law is storied; (2) teach that Canadian constitutional law is a species of liberal constitutionalism; (3) require students to enrol in a prerequisite on an Indigenous people’s constitutional order before enrolling in a course on their law. By way of example, he concludes with the syllabus for an intensive course he designed and taught on Anishinaabe constitutionalism.

scholarly journals Heroes, Tricksters, Monsters, and Caretakers: Indigenous Law and Legal Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Borrows
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Law School ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
Legal Traditions ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Law Professors

Teaching Indigenous peoples’ own law in Canadian law schools presents significant challenges and opportunities. Materials can be organized in conventional or innovative ways. This article explores how law professors and others might best teach Indigenous peoples’ law. Questions canvassed include: whether Indigenous peoples’ law should primarily be taught in Indigenous communities, whether such law should even be taught in law schools, whether it is possible to categorize Indigenous peoples’ law or teach it in English, and whether it is possible to theorize Indigenous peoples’ law within a single framework or organize the subject within common law categories. While this article suggests that Indigenous peoples’ law can be discussed in numerous ways, including within conventional law school frameworks, it emphasizes that such law is best taught in other ways. Indigenous legal traditions should be organized in accordance with Indigenous frameworks. Some of these frameworks include Heroes, Tricksters, Monsters, and Caretakers. Using these Anishinaabe law examples, this article stresses how the teaching of Indigenous peoples’ law should be done in culturally appropriate ways that open rather than confine fields of inquiry within Indigenous law and practice.

Part III Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian Constitution, C Indigenous Peoples and the Constitution Act, 1982, Ch.15 The Form and Substance of Aboriginal Title: Assimilation, Recognition, Reconciliation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Macklem Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Treaty Rights ◽  
Aboriginal Rights ◽  
Constitutional Order ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
Aboriginal Title ◽  
Ways Of Life

This chapter highlights law’s participation in the colonizing projects that initiated the establishment of the Canadian constitutional order. Imperial and subsequently Canadian law deemed legally insignificant the deep connections that Indigenous peoples had with their ancestral territories, and imposed alien norms of conduct on diverse Indigenous ways of life. In doing so, law legitimated the manifold political, social, and economic acts of dispossession and dislocation that collectively bear the label of colonialism. The constitutional entrenchment of Aboriginal and treaty rights in 1982 formally recognized a distinctive constitutional relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada. The judiciary has begun to see the purpose of formal constitutional recognition to be a process of substantive constitutional reconciliation of the interests of Canada and Indigenous peoples. This chapter argues that constitutional reconciliation can only commence by comprehending Aboriginal rights and title as protecting Indigenous interests associated with culture, territory, treaties, and sovereignty in robust terms.

Teaching Legal Research in Canadian Law Schools: Are We Meeting the Needs of the Profession?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Eaton
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Hard Copy ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Legal Research ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University ◽  
Electronic Sources

AbstractIn this philosophical article John Eaton from the University of Manitoba recounts the current legal education system in Canada and reflects on the issues involved in teaching legal research skills, including problems with where to base the training within the curriculum, and difficulties encountered in the migration from hard copy research, to current students' predilections for using electronic sources. Whilst based on the Canadian process his article has a wider application in relation to the “Google-generation” of students.

scholarly journals OUTSIDER EDUCATION: INDIGENOUS LAW AND LAND-BASED LEARNING

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Borrows
Keyword(s):  
Outdoor Education ◽  
Law School ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Indigenous Development ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
Meaningful Context

This article examines pedagogical developments in Canadian law schools related to outdoor education. In the process, it shows how recommendations from the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission can be applied, which called for law schools to create Indigenous-focused courses related to skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights and anti-racism. Land-based education on reserves can give law students meaningful context for exploring these Calls to Action. At the same time this article illustrates that taking students outside law school walls is not solely an Indigenous development. Thus, it first provides a few examples about how outdoors legal education is occurring in non-Indigenous settings. Next, the article examines unique Indigenous legal methodologies for learning law on and from the land. Finally, the author discusses his own experience in teaching Anishinaabe law on his reserve to demonstrate how students can develop deeper understandings of their professional responsibilities.  Dans cet article, l’auteur aborde les développements pédagogiques liés à l’enseignement de plein air dans les écoles de droit du Canada. Ainsi, il montre comment il est possible de donner suite aux recommandations de la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation relative aux pensionnats indiens, notamment en ce qui concerne la création par les écoles de droit de cours axés sur les compétences au regard de l’aptitude interculturelle, du règlement des différends, des droits de la personne et de la lutte contre le racisme. L’éducation axée sur le territoire qui est offerte sur les réserves peut donner aux étudiants en droit un contexte significatif qui les aidera à explorer ces appels à l’action. Au même moment, cet article montre que l’apprentissage du droit à l’extérieur des murs de l’école de droit n’est pas observé uniquement chez les Autochtones. Ainsi, l’auteur donne d’abord quelques exemples de la façon dont l’enseignement du droit à l’extérieur se fait dans des environnements non autochtones. Il décrit ensuite des méthodologies autochtones uniques utilisées pour l’apprentissage du droit axé et fondé sur le territoire. Enfin, l’auteur décrit l’expérience qu’il a lui-même vécue lorsqu’il a enseigné la loi anishinaabe sur sa réserve afin de démontrer comment les étudiants peuvent parvenir à mieux comprendre leurs responsabilités professionnelles.

scholarly journals LEARNING FROM BEAR-WALKER: INDIGENOUS LEGAL ORDERS AND INTERCULTURAL LEGAL EDUCATION IN CANADIAN LAW SCHOOLS

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Askew
Keyword(s):  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
Legal Traditions ◽  
Canadian Law ◽  
Personal Experiences

This article investigates educational strategies that law schools could implement to honour Recommendation #28 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and foster strong intercultural interpretation and communication skills amongst new generations of legal professionals in relation to Indigenous legal viewpoints.  The paper is divided into four sections: the first draws on Indigenous legal scholarship to explore definitions of Indigenous law; the second provides a case study of one method of learning Indigenous law based on the author’s personal experiences of being taught Annishinabe law at Neyaashiinigmiing (a reserve community on Georgian Bay); the third discusses some of the initiatives, opportunities and challenges involved in integrating Indigenous legal traditions into the curriculum of Canadian law schools; and fourth and final section highlights some of the concerns being raised as these initiatives develop, and the related need for the legal profession to proceed with caution and humility. Cet article porte sur les stratégies d’éducation que les écoles de droit pourraient mettre en œuvre pour donner suite à la recommandation n° 28 de la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation et promouvoir de fortes aptitudes en interprétation et communications interculturelles chez les nouvelles générations de professionnels du droit en ce qui concerne les points de vue juridiques autochtones. Le texte compte quatre sections : la première présente diverses définitions juridiques fondées sur la théorie du droit autochtone; la deuxième traite d’une méthode d’apprentissage du droit autochtone fondée sur l’expérience que l’auteur a vécue lorsqu’il a fait l’apprentissage de la loi anishinaabe à Neyaashiinigmiing (communauté vivant sur une réserve indienne située dans la baie Georgienne); la troisième porte sur les initiatives, possibilités et défis liés à l’intégration des traditions juridiques autochtones dans le programme des écoles de droit canadiennes; enfin, la quatrième et dernière section met en relief quelques-unes des préoccupations soulevées au fur et à mesure que ces initiatives prennent forme, et la nécessité pour la profession juridique de faire preuve de prudence et d’humilité. 

scholarly journals Indigenous Constitutionalism and Dispute Resolution Outside the Courts: An Invitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-585
Author(s):  
Karen Drake
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Aboriginal Rights ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Talking Circles ◽  
Liberal Constitutionalism ◽  
The Voice

The Supreme Court of Canada’s jurisprudence on constitutionally protected Aboriginal rights filters Indigenous laws through the lens of liberal constitutionalism, resulting in distortions of Indigenous law. To overcome this constitutional capture, this article advocates for an institution that facilitates dispute resolution between Canadian governments and Indigenous peoples grounded in Indigenous constitutionalism. To avoid a pan-Indigenous approach, this article focuses on Anishinaabe constitutionalism as one example of Indigenous constitutionalism. It highlights points of contrast between Anishinaabe constitutionalism’s and liberalism’s foundational norms and dispute resolution procedures. This article argues that a hybrid institution—combining features of both liberalism and Indigenous constitutionalism—would merely reproduce the constitutional capture of Aboriginal rights jurisprudence. It also illustrates how the procedures of talking circles—which are one means of giving effect to persuasive compliance—promote the voice of all involved. Finally, this article argues that from the perspective of Anishinaabe constitutionalism, the non-binding nature of the processes offered by the new institution would be a strength, not a drawback.

Educational Disadvantages and Indigenous Law Students: Barriers and Potential Solutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Melville
Keyword(s):  
Legal Education ◽  
Law School ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Indigenous Law ◽  
Western Model ◽  
Students First ◽  
Education Academic

Indigenous students are under-represented in Australian universities, including in law school, and have lower educational outcomes relative to non-Indigenous students. First, this article identifies systemic barriers that prevent Indigenous students from enrolling in law school, including entrenched educational disadvantage that prevents many Indigenous students from achieving the grades necessary for university entry. Indigenous students who overcome this disadvantage and enrol in law schools then face higher attrition rates relative to non-Indigenous law students. Indigenous students find law schools to be intimidating, unfamiliar and alienating environments. Law schools privilege a narrow Western model of legal education that continues to deny Indigenous understandings of the law. Second, this article identifies potential solutions that may assist in addressing these barriers. These include alternative entry schemes, building pathways between vocational training and universities and engaged outreach programmes for assisting Indigenous students into higher education. Academic, social and financial support is required to address attrition rates; however, solutions need to go deeper than the provision of additional assistance. This article argues for the need to Indigenize legal education, and for the curriculum to consider law as pluralistic and embedded in power relations, and to provide the focus on social justice which motivates many Indigenous students to study law in the first place.

Hiring Practices in Canadian Legal Education: Linkages among Top Ranked Law Schools

1999 ◽  
Vol 84 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1197-1200
Author(s):  
Jeffrey H. Bair ◽  
Myron Boor ◽  
Alfredo Montalvo
Keyword(s):  
Legal Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Hiring Practices ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Canadian Law

The top ranked Canadian law schools were not linked to one another by employing one another's graduates as were the top ranked U.S. law schools. The four top ranked Canadian law schools, however, employed more faculty members with terminal law degrees from the 10 top ranked U.S. law schools than did the 12 lower ranked Canadian law schools.

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