Joshua Sealy-Harrington (left) sits alongside collection contributors Reakash Walters, Dayna N. Scott, Mona Paré, and Samuel Singer at the book launch, as co-editor Anne Levesque speaks at the podium. (SUBMITTED BY JOSHUA SEALY-HARRINGTON/University of Windsor)
By Sara Meikle
How does Canadian public law shape our lives — and who really holds the power behind it?
Critical Conversations in Canadian Public Law, a new edited collection that brings together voices from across the country, considers these questions and offers a critique that is often overlooked in traditional legal education.
Published in November 2025, the book explores how public law functions in practice, identifies recurring patterns and provides readers with tools to critically examine its structures, impacts and the hierarchy it enforces.
Joshua Sealy-Harrington, a Windsor Law faculty member, served as one of the book’s co-editors and was the lead author of its Introduction, framing the collection’s themes and connecting its wide-ranging contributions.
The project grew from the recognition that legal critiques often happen in isolation within specialized fields.
“The book grew out of conversations among progressive scholars who saw recurring themes across our research,” Sealy-Harrington said. “Important insights were being developed, but not always in dialogue with one another.”
Rather than focusing on a single area, the editors brought together contributors from fields such as critical race theory, Indigenous legal studies, critical disability theory, feminist legal theory, abolitionist theory, queer legal theory and trans legal studies.
The result is a collection of concise, accessible essays exploring public law from multiple perspectives and lived experiences. While the collection will certainly interest legal academics, the editors also aimed for a broader readership.
“The chapters include a broad mix of voices,” Sealy-Harrington explained. “We wanted the book to be accessible for classrooms, practitioners, policy thinkers, and the judiciary — anyone seeking a clearer understanding of how public law operates in theory and practice.”
Some contributors bring perspectives from outside traditional legal and academic settings, including community advocates. This mix reflects a deliberate choice to ground analysis in real-world experience, particularly in relation to access to justice.
“It was important to include people who see how law functions on the ground and how it affects those most impacted by legal systems, whose perspectives are often overlooked,” he said.
The Introduction plays a central role in connecting the chapters and outlining common themes across public law, helping readers see how seemingly distinct issues are shaped by similar dynamics.
“The Introduction helps readers step back and see patterns across the collection,” he said. “The contributors explore very different areas, but they often grapple with comparable questions of power, ideology and methodology.”
By providing a shared framework, the Introduction encourages readers to engage critically across topics and disciplines, reinforcing the book’s emphasis on dialogue rather than isolated analysis.
The project is closely tied to Sealy-Harrington’s research and teaching at Windsor Law, a school recognized for its focus on access to justice and community engagement.
“The roles I’ve held as the Chair of Equality Law and the Chair in Palestinian Human Rights in Canada have focused on the intersection of law, inequality and power,” he said. “Whether examining inequality more broadly or Palestinian human rights specifically, my research explores how both domestic and international law are often used to serve dominant interests, often while purporting to challenge them.”
Sealy-Harrington teaches a seminar on Law and Equality at Windsor Law, and the book reflects the questions he encourages students to explore.
“In this book, we look at patterns in how law operates,” he points out. “By recognizing these patterns, we can better anticipate and understand law with greater rigour and depth.”
The University of Windsor’s connection is also evident in a chapter contributed by fellow faculty member Vincent Wong – highlighting Windsor Law’s emphasis on critical legal scholarship and social justice advocacy role in national scholarship.
Rather than offering prescriptive answers, the collection encourages readers to reflect on how public law develops and shapes society.
“The goal is to provide historical context, analytical frameworks and diverse perspectives to help readers better understand how public law works and why it matters,” Sealy-Harrington said.
This approach aligns with Windsor Law’s emphasis on critical thinking and social awareness. Underscoring what Sealy-Harrington and many of his Windsor Law colleagues feel are essential to building cultural competence and political consciousness in the lawyers who are ultimately produced from the faculty.
“Ultimately, this scholarship supports the broader work we do at Windsor Law,” he added. “It helps students develop the tools to engage thoughtfully and critically with law, whatever path they choose.”
Through its collaborative and interdisciplinary scope, Critical Conversations in Canadian Public Law reflects the strength of critical legal scholarship and the important role Windsor Law continues to play in shaping it.