Ghost Dancing with Colonialism

Some assume that Canada earned a place among postcolonial states in 1982 when it took charge of its Constitution. Yet despite the formal recognition accorded to Aboriginal and treaty rights, Indigenous peoples continue to argue they are still being colonized.

Grace Woo assesses this allegation using a binary model that distinguishes colonial from postcolonial legality. She argues that two legal paradigms governed the expansion of the British Empire, one based on popular consent, the other on conquest and the power to command. Despite the best intentions of lawyers and judges, the beliefs and practices of the colonial age continue to haunt Supreme Court of Canada rulings concerning Indigenous rights.

The binary analysis applied in Ghost Dancing with Colonialism casts explanatory light on ongoing tensions between Canada and Indigenous peoples, suggesting new ways to bridge the cultural divide and arrive at a truly postcolonial justice system.

Additional appendices and references for Ghost Dancing with Colonialism: Decolonization and Indigenous Rights at the Supreme Court of Canada can be found at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/34959.