Always on the Defence: The Myth of Universality and the Persistence of Privilege in Legal Education

Bhandar, Brenna

Abstract

Law school curricula and dominant pedagogical approaches reinforce the sense of entitlement and privilege that individuals from historically privileged groups enjoy in the law school context. In this article, the author shows how particular critical pedagogical practices have the potential to reinforce a politics of identity that does little to shift relations of power between white students and students racialised as "Other," leaving "white" privilege intact. She concludes with some suggestions for how law professors and students can work towards displacing relations of power both inside and outside the classroom- relations that privilege certain groups of people over others- through the creation of a "common social terrain" that incorporates a multiplicity of voices and experiences.

Citation

Bhandar, B. (2002). Always on the Defence: The Myth of Universality and the Persistence of Privilege in Legal Education. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 14, 341-361

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2002
• Deposit Date: Nov 27, 2014
• Journal: Canadian Journal of Women and the Law
• Print ISSN: 0832-8781
• Electronic ISSN: 1911-0235
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Pages: 341-361