<p>Some assume that Canada earned a place among postcolonial states in<br>1982 when it took charge of its Constitution. Yet despite the formal<br>recognition accorded to Aboriginal and treaty rights at that time,<br>Indigenous peoples continue to argue that they are still being<br>colonized.</p><br><br><p>Grace Woo assesses this allegation using a binary model that<br>distinguishes colonial from postcolonial legality. She argues that two<br>legal paradigms governed the expansion of the British Empire, one based<br>on popular consent, the other on conquest and the power to command.<br>During the twentieth century, international law formally rejected the<br>conquest model. However, despite the best intentions of lawyers and<br>judges, the beliefs and practices of the colonial age continue to haunt<br>Supreme Court of Canada rulings concerning Indigenous rights.</p><br><br><p>The binary analysis applied in <em>Ghost Dancing with<br>Colonialism</em> casts explanatory light on ongoing tensions between<br>Canada and Indigenous peoples, suggesting new ways to bridge the<br>cultural divide and arrive at a truly postcolonial justice system.</p><br><br><p> </p><br><p><br><b>Grace Li Xiu Woo</b> is a retired member of the Law<br>Society of British Columbia. She has taught in the Program of Legal<br>Studies for Native People at the University of Saskatchewan.