John Borrows
78 Queen's Park
Education
- PhD, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
- Hon. LLD, Dalhousie, York, SFU, Queen’s and Waterloo
- Hon. LLD, Law Society of Ontario
- Hon. DHL, Victoria University in the University of Toronto
- BA, MA and JD, University of Toronto
Overview
Professor John Borrows, OC, FRSC, inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law, is one of the world’s leading scholars of Indigenous law. He is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario.
Borrows teaches a course to first-year law students that addresses the intersection of Indigenous Peoples’ laws with Canada's laws. Over the past decade, he has also taught an intensive course in Anishinaabe law and legal tradition, often bringing students to his People's Neyaashiinigmiing reserve to meet with Elders, Chiefs, colleagues and teachers and experience Indigenous law in context.
Areas of Interest
- Indigenous Peoples & the Law
Teaching
Fall Session
Research
Borrows' research focuses on the revitalization of Indigenous Peoples’ laws and its relationship with Canadian law. He takes a comparative approach, looking at Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. His teaching includes Canadian and U.S. constitutional law, Canadian Aboriginal rights law, as well as environmental law.
Selected Publications
- Voicing Identity Cultural Appropriation and Indigenous Issues (UTP, 2021), with Kent McNeil, eds.
- Resurgence and Reconciliation: Indigenous-Settler Relations and Earth Teachings (UTP, 2018), with Michael Asch, Jim Tully, eds.
- The Right Relationship (UTP, 2017) with Michael Coyle, ed.
- Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism (UTP, 2016)
- Drawing Out Law: A Spirit's Guide (UTP, 2010)
- Canada's Indigenous Constitution (UTP, 2010)
- Recovering Canada: The Resurgence of Indigenous Law (UTP, 2002)
FACULTY OF LAW CHAIR
Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law
- Guthrie Award (2024), Law Foundation of Ontario
- TRC Teaching Award (2024), Students' Law Society (SLS) and the Indigenous Law Students' Association (ILSA)
- Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research (2023), Broadbent Institute
- President's Award (2021), Canadian Bar Association
- Officer of the Order of Canada (2020)
- Governor General's Innovation Award (2020)
- Molson Prize (2019), Canada Council for the Arts
- Killam Prize (2017), National Research Council Canada (NSERC)
BOOK PRIZES
- Best Subsequent Book Award (2020), Native American and Indigenous Studies Association for Law’s Indigenous Ethics
- W. Wesley Pue Book Prize (2020), Canadian Law and Society Association for Law’s Indigenous Ethics
- Donald Smiley Award (2016), best book in Canadian Political Science for Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism
- Canadian Law and Society Best Book Award (2011) for Canada's Indigenous Constitution
- Donald Smiley Award (2002), best book in Canadian Political Science for Recovering Canada: The Resurgence of Indigenous Law