In order to promote fundamental research in private law, the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative Law initiated the 鈥淐ivil Law Workshops鈥� series, bringing together jurists from Qu茅bec and beyond to work on related research topics. With their cross-disciplinary focus, the 鈥淐ivil Law Workshops鈥� contribute to enriching and stimulating fundamental research in private law.
The 2022-2024 series of Civil Law Workshops, presented by the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre and the 听explores "Unmasking the person in private law". The Workshops are supported by Justice Canada鈥檚 Support Fund for Access to Justice in Both Official Languages from Justice Canada as well as the Fonds d'茅tudes notariales de la Chambre des notaires du Qu茅bec.
Although civil law is at the heart of our workshops, we consider that a transsystemic approach enriched by Indigenous legal traditions and common law is essential to the discussion.
2022-2024 - Unmasking the person in private law
Atelier de droit civil, Bradley Bryan, 鈥淭he Person and the Window: Colonialism, Structuralism, and the Possibilities of Transsystemic Law鈥�
Le 13 octobre 2023, de 13h 脿 14 h30 (HNE), 202 du Pavillon New Chancellor Day
Dr Bradley Bryan is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. He holds a BA (Hons) from U.B.C., an MA from 黑料不打烊 University, an LL.B from the University of Victoria, a PhD from Boalt Hall School of Law (UC Berkeley), and an LL.M (Taxation) from Allard Hall School of Law (U.B.C.). He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 2000 after serving as a Law Clerk to the Honourable Justices Lance Finch and Douglas Lambert of the BC Court of Appeal in 1998-99, and completing articles with the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now Ecojustice). Along with other endeavours, he practiced tax law with Woodward & Company Lawyers LLP, advising First Nations on a variety of tax, financing, and corporate structuring matters.
Attempts to think through the relationship between colonial legal systems and Indigenous juridical orders can be set upon unwittingly by background notions of structural anthropology. This paper builds on previous work on the corporate personhood of Indigenous legal bodies to inquire into the ways that 鈥渢ranssystemic鈥� approaches to comparative legal orders
Mireille Fournier, "Moraliser la personne : une course 脿 la 芦 personne morale 禄 dans la France du XIXe si猫cle"
February 3, 2023, 13:00-14:30 (EST), 202 New Chancellor Day Hall, Hybrid Workshop
(In French Only) Les arguments et les th茅ories du droit civil au sujet de la personnalit茅 morale, que l'on conna卯t et enseigne toujours aujourd'hui, sont tributaires d'une vaste controverse publique sur la place de certaines associations dans la soci茅t茅 fran莽aise du XIXe si猫cle. En 茅tudiant c么te-脿-c么te la controverse juridique sur la personnalit茅 et cette vaste controverse publique, certains arguments nous renseignent sur la vision de la soci茅t茅 propos茅e par le droit civil des associations. En particulier, la pr茅sentation aura pour but d'explorer la proposition de certains acteurs du discours public, selon laquelle les personnes morales moralisent les personnes.
Mireille Fournier est doctorante 脿 la Facult茅 de droit de l'Universit茅 Laval en cotutelle avec l'脡cole de droit de Sciences Po, sous la direction de Fr茅d茅ric Audren et de Marie-Claire Belleau. Ses recherches portent sur les apports de la soci茅t茅 civile 脿 l鈥櫭﹍aboration du droit civil dans le cadre de la controverse sur la personnalit茅 morale en France au XIXe si猫cle. Mireille d茅tient un baccalaur茅at en droit civil et common law de l'Universit茅 黑料不打烊 et une ma卯trise en droit et soci茅t茅 de l'Universit茅 de Victoria. Membre du Barreau du Qu茅bec, elle 茅tait auxiliaire juridique 脿 la Cour d'appel du Qu茅bec entre 2018 et 2020.
Yoriko Otomo, "After Persons, Animism, Animals and Law"
February 13, 2023, 13:00-14:30 (EST), 202 New Chancellor Day Hall, Hybrid Workshop
This lecture critically examines a current tendency in human-animal, critical animal studies and social anthropology to look towards the 鈥榓nimism鈥� of indigenous communities as an alternative to the dominant ontological and legal distinction between 鈥榩erson鈥� and 鈥榯hing鈥�. It contributes to an ongoing conversation hosted by 黑料不打烊 Faculty of Law on legal personhood, and to a broader conversation about the ethics of global governance. I first describe how 鈥榓nimal personhood鈥� is relevant to a discussion about legal personhood in general. I then look at the current jurisprudence on the granting of personhood to non-human entities and animals, explaining the tensions this produces for law more generally. The final part of my talk reflects on the 鈥榦ntological turn鈥� in human-animal studies in recent years, including the temptation to transpose this approach to the courtroom. In my conclusion, I will suggest an alternative 鈥� perhaps radical 鈥� way forward in our ongoing efforts to make global governance fit for purpose.
Yoriko Otomo is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, where she was a Senior Lecturer for a number of years before becoming Director of the Global Research Network and Think Tank, an organisation that promotes collaboration and knowledge transfer between North-South academics. She holds a Ph.D in Law (University of Melbourne) and has received numerous fellowships and awards. Yoriko has authored Unconditional Life: The Postwar International Law Settlement (Oxford University Press, 2016) and co-edited Law and the Question of the Animal: A Critical Jurisprudence (Routledge, 2014) and Making Milk: The Past, Present and Future of Our Primary Food (Bloomsbury, 2017) and is currently co-editing Routledge's Handbook on Law and Animals (forthcoming, 2024). Recent interdisciplinary projects include a collaboration with architects on a permanent installation for the Court of Aarhus in Denmark, 'Silent Parties'. Alongside academia, she has undertaken international environmental law consultancies over the last two decades for U.N., NGOs and government bodies. Her current research tries to go beyond critique to suggest practical ways of transforming current environmental law discourse.
Alexandra Popovici, "脢tre ou ne pas 锚tre: une histoire juridique des cendres"
March 10, 2023, 13:00-14:30 (EST), 202 New Chancellor Day Hall, Hybrid Workshop
(In French Only) Que reste-t-il d鈥檜ne personne apr猫s sa mort ? Ses biens, ses proches et, selon les circonstances, sa d茅pouille ou ses cendres. Lorsqu鈥檌l s鈥檃git de cendres, tant leur nature que leur r茅gime juridiques ne sont pas explicites. En effet, les cendres, choses mat茅rielles, ne sont certainement pas des biens ordinaires, appropriables, transf茅rables, jetables. Pourtant, il est 茅vident que l鈥檕n peut revendiquer des cendres vol茅es. Il est 茅vident 茅galement que tout acte non respectueux de leur int茅grit茅 serait compris comme une atteinte 脿 la dignit茅 de la personne d茅c茅d茅e.
Quelle est donc la nature de ces restes humains qui ressemblent plus 脿 de la poussi猫re qu鈥櫭� un 锚tre cher ?
Quel est donc le rapport juridique que nous entretenons avec ceux-ci ? La clef se trouve dans le Code civil, lieu ultime de nos rapports juridiques priv茅s.
Alexandra Popovici est professeure agr茅g茅e 脿 la Facult茅 de droit de l鈥橴niversit茅 de Sherbrooke. Elle s鈥檌nt茅resse aux institutions fondamentales du droit priv茅 dans une perspective critique et compar茅e. Ses travaux examinent l鈥檃rchitecture du droit priv茅, en droit civil et en common law. Elle s鈥檌nt茅resse tout particuli猫rement 脿 la g茅n茅alogie des concepts et au langage juridique. Ses recherches actuelles portent sur la fonction sociale du droit priv茅, la notion de pouvoirs et la remise en question de certains lieux communs.
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