John Borrows, Professor and Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law (photo Alice Xue Photography)
John Borrows, one of the world’s leading scholars of Indigenous law, has been awarded the 2023 Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research from the Broadbent Institute.
A member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Borrows was named the inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law in 2022. Borrows completed four degrees at U of T, including his JD and LLM, and was an early-career scholar with the Faculty of Law from 1998 to 2001.
Named after Canadian philosopher and McGill University Professor Emeritus Charles Taylor, the Prize is awarded annually to a researcher whose work has made an important contribution to policy debates relevant to building a more socially just Canada.
Borrows has edited and authored several award-winning books. Most recently, he co-edited a volume of essays written by leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars that examines the issue of cultural appropriation in the contexts of researching, writing, and teaching about Indigenous Peoples.
A past recipient of the Killam Prize and Molson Prize, both from the Canada Council for the Arts, Borrows was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2020. He holds five honorary degrees from Canadian universities, including Dalhousie University, Queen's University, Simon Fraser University, York University and Victoria University in the University of Toronto.
“John Borrows is known globally for his path-breaking, transformative work,” said University Professor Jutta Brunnée, Dean of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. “The Charles Taylor Prize is a fitting recognition of his research and teaching and its significant impact on Canadian policy.”
Founded in 2011, the Broadbent Institute is a Canadian policy and training organization with nationwide offices. The Institute announced the Prize on Mar. 10 during their 2023 Progress Summit in Ottawa.
