Fulbright Focused on Indigenous Public Policy and Criminal Justice

The College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) welcomes a new guest scholar for Spring-Summer 2022. Dr. Jordan Gross is the new Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Public Policy and Criminal Justice at the University of Guelph.

Prof. Gross joins U of G from the Blewett School of Law at the University of Montana. While in Canada, she is being hosted by the Department of Political Science and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which both sit within CSAHS. The departments offer the collaborative Criminal Justice & Public Policy (BA) and Criminology & Criminal Justice Policy (MA) programs.

 

Gross researches and teaches criminal law and procedure, with a focus on federal laws and policies governing Tribal Nations’ exercise of criminal jurisdiction within the United States. Her Fulbright work centers on a comparative analysis of the extent to which Canada and the United States make room for Indigenous justice norms in their legal systems.

The Fulbright project, “Making Space for Indigenous Justice Norms within Colonialist Legal Structures – Criminal Procedure as a Vehicle and Boundary for Self-Determination Interests in Canada and the United States,” will expand the international element of Gross’s research on Indigenous versus settler colonial justice norms.

Prof. Gross has already made an impact on campus with the inaugural event of her Fulbright term. In addition to providing guest talks in a number of courses, Gross spoke to an audience of U of G faculty and students about Indigenous self-determination and criminal jurisdiction within federal settler colonial legal systems, including highlighting the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis in Canada and the United States - Making Space for Indigenous Justice Norms.

CSAHS students with interests in criminal law, policy, and justice will benefit from Gross’s presence on campus, as she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in these areas of study to Guelph.

The Fulbright Canada Research Chairs program is one of several Fulbright Awards that strengthen the educational exchange between Canada and the United States. The program enrols exceptional scholars and arranges for them to visit host institutions where they conduct research important to that university.

Prof. Gross’s Fulbright tenure builds on the University of Guelph’s Indigenous Initiatives Strategy. Specifically, Gross’s research on Indigenous justice norms reflects the institutional commitment to “innovative Indigenous research and expanding how we understand and interpret the world,” one of five overarching commitments towards decolonization and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, communities and lands.

Learn more about Indigenous Initiatives in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences.