Islands of Empowerment: Anti-Discrimination Law and the Question of Racial Emancipation

24 Pages Posted: 16 Nov 2018

See all articles by Faisal Bhabha

Faisal Bhabha

York University - Osgoode Hall Law School

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

In her evocative masterpiece, The Alchemy of Race and Rights, published in 1991, Patricia Williams captured a moment in American legal thought that marked a turning point in expressions about race and power, and the implications for social equality. It contained lessons extending beyond America's unique race history, to the general social and political dynamics in liberal democracy that create conditions of privilege and exclusion. She invited us to think about the place of law in the social and institutional practices that sustain status quo hierarchies, despite proclaimed civil rights commitments to justice. She also inspired hope that the role of the lawyer could be one of mutinous agitator struggling from the inside, using the tools and skills of practice to support the causes of identifiable communities and social movements.

Suggested Citation

Bhabha, Faisal, Islands of Empowerment: Anti-Discrimination Law and the Question of Racial Emancipation (2013). Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, Vol. 31, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3273221

Faisal Bhabha (Contact Author)

York University - Osgoode Hall Law School ( email )

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada

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