John Borrows named 2026 Guggenheim Fellow in Indigenous Studies

John Borrows, Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Toronto’s Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow in Indigenous Studies by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Borrows is among 223 distinguished scholars, artists, and scientists selected for the Foundation’s 101st class of Fellows, representing 55 fields of study. The Fellowship recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and significant promise, supporting independent work at an advanced level.

Scholarship in Indigenous Law

He is a scholar of Indigenous law whose research focuses on the revitalization of Indigenous legal traditions and their relationship with Canadian law. His work takes a comparative approach, engaging with legal systems in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. He is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario. He teaches courses on Indigenous Peoples and the law, including first-year courses on the intersection of Indigenous legal orders and Canadian law, as well as an intensive course in Anishinaabe law and legal tradition.

He is the author and co-editor of several publications, including Canada’s Indigenous Constitution (2010), Drawing Out Law: A Spirit’s Guide (2010), Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism (2016), The Right Relationship (2017), Resurgence and Reconciliation (2018), and Voicing Identity: Cultural Appropriation and Indigenous Issues (2021).

Reflections on the Fellowship

In reflecting on the Fellowship, Borrows noted the connection between his current work and his forthcoming book, The Seven Cycles of Life: Finding Connection, Healing and Justice in Anishinaabe Teachings (Penguin Random House Canada).

“I hope the Fellowship allows me to further develop its central insights, which is that law is healthiest when it connects us to our kin, which includes the beautiful, living earth. I also hope the Guggenheim Fellowship draws me closer to my ancestors and community because our laws are most strongly learned in family settings with support from elders, friends, and kind leaders. For me, receiving this Fellowship reminds me of the need to pass along similar hope and encouragement.”

Reflecting on the significance of the recognition, Borrows emphasized the intergenerational nature of legal knowledge and responsibility.

“The work of honouring our best legal traditions occurs across the generations. My work does not so much feel like it is related to my particular stage in life, as it feels like I am trying to pass along a legal vision that is much bigger than myself, which sustains the need for civility, informed curiosity, and respect for the living earth and peoples’ different points of view.”

Research Focus During the Fellowship

During the Fellowship period, Borrows will focus on research exploring accountability within legal systems and communities, grounded in relational principles that connect people to each other and to the natural world.

“My research is focused on how all people need clear ways of being accountable to their own and broader communities, using principles and processes that resonate internally and can be harmonized with the Earth and the needs of other people.”

Looking ahead, Borrows hopes his work will contribute to strengthening Indigenous legal traditions in practice and expanding public understanding of law as a living, participatory system.

“I hope my work continues to build hope for my children and grandchildren, and that it has some relevance for students, colleagues, courts, legislatures and other bodies seeking to make law a living tradition in the lives of all people, rather than the sole preserve of a specialized, highly trained, relatively wealthy group of people who are paid or who charge for the privilege of ‘lawing’ in this world. Practicing law should be treated as a basic human activity — sociologically, anthropologically, culturally, politically and economically – as people democratically and directly participate in refining and improving their own and other peoples’ lives.”

He added that a key part of his upcoming work will involve engaging directly with Indigenous communities across Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, learning from those actively applying Indigenous legal systems in contemporary contexts.

“Visiting Indigenous people who are using their own laws to improve accountability within their own communities… I will see where hope shines most brightly, and bring this to others’ attention, while acknowledging that every people have challenges, flaws and unrealized potential in striving for our highest ideals.”

About the Guggenheim Fellowship

Founded in 1925, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded fellowships to more than 19,000 individuals, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and members of national academies. Fellows are selected through a rigorous peer-review process based on prior achievement and exceptional promise.

The 2026 class spans 55 disciplines across the creative arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, reflecting a broad international scope and interdisciplinary excellence.

Borrows’ selection highlights the continued recognition of Indigenous legal scholarship within international academic and research communities.

The University of Toronto congratulates Professor Borrows on this outstanding achievement.