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Papers by Sébastien Grammond

Anthropologie et Sociétés, 2014

Journal articles/articles scientifiques by Sébastien Grammond

Nouvelles pratiques sociales, 2010

Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 2014

In Canada, certain Indigenous groups are struggling to obtain official recognition of their statu... more In Canada, certain Indigenous groups are struggling to obtain official recognition of their status and rights. This is particularly so in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the authorities took the stance, when the province joined Canada in 1949, that no one would be legally considered Indigenous. This paper analyzes the claims of the Indigenous groups of that province, which have resulted, over the last thirty years, in various forms of official recognition.
In particular, this article highlights how the concept of equality was used by these Indigenous groups to buttress their claims. Equality, in this context, was mainly conceived of as “sameness in difference”—that is, the idea that an unrecognized group claims to be treated consistently with other groups that share the same culture or identity and that are already officially recognized. Such assertions may be made in the context of human rights litigation, but also through joining or leaving associations of Indigenous groups. Through the latter process, unrecognized Indigenous groups of the province indicated to whom they wished to be compared and, in doing so, they ironically reinforced the hierarchy of statuses recognized under Canadian law.

The legal framework laid out by the Supreme Court for the recognition of Métis aboriginal rights ... more The legal framework laid out by the Supreme Court for the recognition of Métis aboriginal rights calls upon trial judges to determine the existence of a Métis community to which the claimants belong. Based on a constructivist conception of identity, this article analyzes the conceptions of indigenous identity put forward to that end by the claimants and by the trial judge in the seminal Powley case. The witnesses testifying on behalf of the Powleys refered to a wide range of identity markers defining their community, including the historical origins of the Métis people as a group of mixed ancestry distinct from First Nations, its quest for self-government, subsistence hunting and fishing, distinctive language and art, being subject to discrimination, specific forms of economic activity as well as specific geographic communities. The trial judge, however, retained only a subset of those markers, namely recognition by others, a subsistence-based way of life and historical exclusion. These markers are those that correspond to justifications of indigenous rights based on the preservation of culture and the reparation of a historical injustice. Moreover, they emphasize similarities between Métis and First Nations, rather than elements that distinguish the Métis.

Book chapters by Sébastien Grammond

Enfance et famille autochtones (no 25) by Sébastien Grammond

Les enjeux de la recherche concernant l’enfance et la famille autochtones Cet article fait le ... more Les enjeux de la recherche concernant l’enfance et la famille autochtones

Cet article fait le point sur les politiques coloniales qui ont eu des impacts dévastateurs sur les enfants et les familles autochtones, dont la politique des pensionnats autochtones et l’application des régimes de protection de la jeunesse. Il examine les efforts qui sont déployés depuis une quarantaine d’années pour adapter les institutions étatiques qui affectent les enfants et les jeunes autochtones. Enfin, il donne un aperçu des enjeux culturels et identitaires auxquels font face les enfants, les jeunes et les familles autochtones, notamment concernant le territoire, les conceptions de la famille élargie et les pratiques parentales. Il poursuit par une réflexion sur la nécessaire autodétermination des peuples autochtones dans les domaines liés à l’enfance et à la famille.

Issues in research on Aboriginal children and families

This article presents a review of the colonial policies that had devastating consequences on Aboriginal children and families, among which residential schools and the enforcement of youth protection regulations. It examines the efforts that have been made in the last forty years to adapt the State institutions that impact children and young Aboriginals. It also gives an overview of the cultural and identity-related issues facing Aboriginal children, youths and families, especially as regards the land, views of the extended family and parenting practices. It follows with considerations on the necessary self-determination of Aboriginal peoples in the fields relevant to childhood and the family.

Anthropologie et Sociétés, 2014

Nouvelles pratiques sociales, 2010

Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 2014

In Canada, certain Indigenous groups are struggling to obtain official recognition of their statu... more In Canada, certain Indigenous groups are struggling to obtain official recognition of their status and rights. This is particularly so in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the authorities took the stance, when the province joined Canada in 1949, that no one would be legally considered Indigenous. This paper analyzes the claims of the Indigenous groups of that province, which have resulted, over the last thirty years, in various forms of official recognition.
In particular, this article highlights how the concept of equality was used by these Indigenous groups to buttress their claims. Equality, in this context, was mainly conceived of as “sameness in difference”—that is, the idea that an unrecognized group claims to be treated consistently with other groups that share the same culture or identity and that are already officially recognized. Such assertions may be made in the context of human rights litigation, but also through joining or leaving associations of Indigenous groups. Through the latter process, unrecognized Indigenous groups of the province indicated to whom they wished to be compared and, in doing so, they ironically reinforced the hierarchy of statuses recognized under Canadian law.

The legal framework laid out by the Supreme Court for the recognition of Métis aboriginal rights ... more The legal framework laid out by the Supreme Court for the recognition of Métis aboriginal rights calls upon trial judges to determine the existence of a Métis community to which the claimants belong. Based on a constructivist conception of identity, this article analyzes the conceptions of indigenous identity put forward to that end by the claimants and by the trial judge in the seminal Powley case. The witnesses testifying on behalf of the Powleys refered to a wide range of identity markers defining their community, including the historical origins of the Métis people as a group of mixed ancestry distinct from First Nations, its quest for self-government, subsistence hunting and fishing, distinctive language and art, being subject to discrimination, specific forms of economic activity as well as specific geographic communities. The trial judge, however, retained only a subset of those markers, namely recognition by others, a subsistence-based way of life and historical exclusion. These markers are those that correspond to justifications of indigenous rights based on the preservation of culture and the reparation of a historical injustice. Moreover, they emphasize similarities between Métis and First Nations, rather than elements that distinguish the Métis.

Les enjeux de la recherche concernant l’enfance et la famille autochtones Cet article fait le ... more Les enjeux de la recherche concernant l’enfance et la famille autochtones

Cet article fait le point sur les politiques coloniales qui ont eu des impacts dévastateurs sur les enfants et les familles autochtones, dont la politique des pensionnats autochtones et l’application des régimes de protection de la jeunesse. Il examine les efforts qui sont déployés depuis une quarantaine d’années pour adapter les institutions étatiques qui affectent les enfants et les jeunes autochtones. Enfin, il donne un aperçu des enjeux culturels et identitaires auxquels font face les enfants, les jeunes et les familles autochtones, notamment concernant le territoire, les conceptions de la famille élargie et les pratiques parentales. Il poursuit par une réflexion sur la nécessaire autodétermination des peuples autochtones dans les domaines liés à l’enfance et à la famille.

Issues in research on Aboriginal children and families

This article presents a review of the colonial policies that had devastating consequences on Aboriginal children and families, among which residential schools and the enforcement of youth protection regulations. It examines the efforts that have been made in the last forty years to adapt the State institutions that impact children and young Aboriginals. It also gives an overview of the cultural and identity-related issues facing Aboriginal children, youths and families, especially as regards the land, views of the extended family and parenting practices. It follows with considerations on the necessary self-determination of Aboriginal peoples in the fields relevant to childhood and the family.