At the same time as fewer Canadians then ever identify with religious traditions, there is a resurgence of interest in Indigenous spirituality. This resurgence encourages the creation of new laws, practices, governance structures, customs and institutions for all Canadians. As non-Indigenous Canadians becomes more willing to recognize, honours, and integrate Indigenous spirituality into society, what might that mean for new legislation, for healthcare, for sustainability, and for other parts of public life? John Borrows (in a video presentation), along with Paul Bramadat and David Seljak (both in person) will discuss their new co-edited book, Opening and Closing Relations: Indigenous Spirituality in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2027).
John Borrows
A member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, John Borrows is the Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto Law School. An Officer of the Order of Canada, he is the author of Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism (UTP, 2016), Drawing Out Law: A Spirit's Guide (UTP, 2010), Canada's Indigenous Constitution (UTP, 2010), and Recovering Canada: The Resurgence of Indigenous Law (UTP, 2002).
Paul Bramadat
Paul Bramadat is a Professor in the Department of History and the Religious Studies Program at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. Professor Bramadat is interested in the ways we imagine religion and spirituality when we talk about health, diversity, security, and civil society. His most recent book is Yogalands: In Search of Practice on the Mat and in the World (McGill-Queen’s University Press 2025). Other books, including nearly a dozen co-edited volumes such as Religion at the Edge: Nature, Spirituality, and Secularity in the Pacific Northwest, have been published by leading academic presses.
David Seljak
Acting Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at St Jerome's University, David Seljak is Professor of Religious Studies and former Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo. Along with Paul Bramadat, he co-edited Religion and Ethnicity in Canada (UTP 2010) and Christianity and Ethnicity in Canada (UTP 2008). Opening and Closing Relations: Indigenous Spirituality in Canada is the third volume in that broader project.
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Pope Francis Institute