Thresholds of Accusation

Reviews / Votes

'George Pavlich has captured the power of law as a meaning-making enterprise, which in this case, was employed to create and sustain a national narrative to systematically dispossess Indigenous peoples from their lands. This complex disruption of Indigenous peoples' social, political, legal, and economic ordering was/is the dynamic of colonialism. What Pavlich has meticulously researched and articulates here is the 'how' of - a critical and practical insight into the depoliticizing of law as a colonial process. One of the beautiful things about this text is that its lessons apply today to the power relations that continue to ensnare and entangle Indigenous peoples. And, Pavlich is not a pessimist - because both history and the world are way too complex. Instead, he considers alternative ways to begin thinking about the operation of state law by drawing on Indigenous legal orders and legal practices. Truly a gift, and beautifully written to boot.' Val Napoleon, Law Foundation Chair of Indigenous Justice and Governance, University of Victoria 'With his stunning research on the colonial policing of western Canada in the nineteenth century, George Pavlich reveals the buried but still active structure of accusation that underlies the contemporary power of criminal law and punishment across settler colonial societies like the US and Canada. Today we tend to blame criminal justice bias on the bureaucratic agencies that dominate the visible system, but Thresholds of Accusation suggests a much deeper attachment and a much broader complicity. Key reading for those questioning the limits of criminal justice reform and abolition.' Jonathan S. Simon, Lance Robbins Professor of Criminal Justice Law, Berkeley Law 'What is the relationship between criminal law and settler colonialism? In Thresholds of Accusation, George Pavlich presents an erudite and compelling genealogy of criminal accusation as a long process of criminalization that continues to conceal the coercive and violent effects of settler colonialism on Indigenous communities today. Pavlich asks us to consider how the vast inequities in the Canadian criminal justice system, especially the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples, are the effects of what he calls 'a dispossessing colonial rule by law.' The book is brimming with theoretical and methodological insights. Pavlich distills his arguments of accusation as a performative foundation of colonial law through close readings of archival documents. His analysis repudiates archival research as historical discovery and offers innovative methods for writing legal history. This is a must read.' Renisa Mawani, Canada Research Chair, Colonial Legal Histories and Professor, The University of British Columbia 'The book's methodological and theoretical approaches provide fresh perspectives on the role of accusation in shaping colonial social orders and its enduring impact on contemporary legal systems. Pavlich's work is not just a historical account; it is a critical examination of the socio-political underpinnings of colonial legal frameworks. The book stands out for its depth, its critical lens on a pivotal historical period, and its implications for understanding and reimagining modern legal systems.' Amy Swiffen, International Journal of Semiotics and Law