糖心视频

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember your browser. We use this information to improve and customize your browsing experience, for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media, and for marketing purposes. By using this website, you accept and agree to be bound by 糖心视频鈥檚 Terms of Use 蹿辞谤听web and social media privacy.聽聽If you do not agree to the above, you can configure your browser鈥檚 setting to 鈥渄o not track.鈥

Skip to main content
Maps Buildings Rooms A-Z
University
of Victoria
Apply Library
Sign in Online tools Sign out
Faculty of Law

Gillian Calder

Gillian Calder

Professor

Accepting graduate students

Contact:
Office: FRA 234 250-472-5127
ORCID:
Credentials:
BA Hons (UBC), LLB (UBC), LLM (York)
Area(s) of expertise:
Constitutional law and theories, family law, feminist legal theories, critical legal and arts-based pedagogies, legal education, performance theories, law and theatre, queering law, law and emotions.
Related links:

Biography

Gillian Calder is a Professor and a former Associate Dean, Academic and Student Relations. She has also served as the Acting Chair of Gender Studies in the Faculty of Humanities. She has been teaching constitutional law, family law, and related seminars from feminist, queer and anti-colonialist perspectives since July 2004. Gillian's research focuses on questions of legal imagination, theories of constitutional law, law's impact on understandings of the family, family formation, performativity and storytelling. In particular, she is keenly interested in critical legal pedagogies and the role creativity, ethical imagination and empathy should play in legal education. Her recent work has focused on law and emotion, where she weaves connections between teaching, embodiment and social location. In 2026 Gillian received the Harry Hickman Alumni Award in Teaching and Educational Leadership, the highest honour for teaching excellence at the 糖心视频.

Selected publications

Books
  • Gillian Calder and Lori G. Beaman, eds., Polygamy’s Rights and Wrongs: Perspectives on Harm, Family and Law (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2014).
Book chapters
  • Gillian Calder,  in Mallika Kaur and Lindsay M. Harris, eds., How to Account for Trauma and Emotions in Law Teaching (Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2024) pp. 74-90.
  • Gillian Calder, “‘” Bandes, Madeira, Temple and Kidd White, eds, Research Handbook on Law and Emotion (London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021), pp. 62-79. 
  • Gillian Calder,  in Karine Levasseur, Stephanie Paterson, and Lorna A. Turnbull, eds., Mothering and Welfare: Depriving, Surviving, Thriving (Bradford, On: Demeter Press, October 2020), pp. 259-273.
Journal articles
  • Gillian Calder and Rebecca Johnson, “” (2024) 73(3) DePaul Law Review 805-824. 
  • Gillian Calder, “” (2022) 45(2) Dalhousie Law Journal 335-357. 
  • Gillian Calder, “” (2009) 21(1) Canadian Journal of Women and the Law 55-89. 
  • Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey, Gillian Calder, Angela Cameron, Maneesha Deckha, Rebecca Johnson, Hester Lessard, Maureen Maloney, Margot Young, “” (2008) 17(1)  Social and Legal Studies 5-38. 
Other publications
  • Gillian Calder, “Book Review: Lynda Collins, "” (2025) 36:2 Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 112-117.
  • Gillian Calder, “” (2022). 11(1) feminists@law. 

Special projects and other work

, 糖心视频, Faculty of Law. Co-curated with Rebecca Johnson.

  • ReconciliationSyllabus is a clearinghouse of education resources, pedagogical materials and storytelling, shared by educators across Canada, particularly in law schools, of the ways that have worked to include Call to Action #28 of the TRC in their teachings.

Marlee Kline Lecture on Social Justice, 

  • This lecture in memory of UBC Law Professor Marlee Kline’s contributions to social justice highlights an ongoing research project linking critical pedagogies and the key competencies of a legal education. February 27, 2025.

  • Panel discussion with Camas Books, 糖心视频, Faculty of Law, November 25, 2024. This talk given at 糖心视频, and preserved as a podcast, looks at the questions raised by the transphobic views and actions of celebrated children’s author JK Rowling.

Media

  • CBC On the Island. "" Interviewed by Kathryn Marlow. 2026.
  • Times Colonist. Gillian Calder, 2021. 
  • Policy Options. Gillian Calder and Ireh Iyioha, “.” 2020.
  • Times Colonist. Kathy Chan and Gillian Calder,  2018. 
  • Times Colonist. Gillian Calder,  2015. 

Recognition and awards

  • 2026 First Year Class Teaching Award (shared with Anthony Ho).
  • 2025 Harry Hickman Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
  • 2015 Terry Wuester Graduating Class Teaching Excellence Award.
  • 2013 Terry Wuester Graduating Class Teaching Excellence Award.
  • 2012 First Year Class Teaching Award (shared with Gerry Ferguson).
  • 2009 Terry Wuester Graduating Class Teaching Excellence Award.
  • 2008 Terry Wuester Graduating Class Teaching Excellence Award (shared with John Kilcoyne).

Courses

Graduate supervision

Professor Calder is interested in supervising LLM and PhD students with creative interests in the role that constitutional law plays in regulating the family in Canada.  She is also keenly interested in projects that centre innovating questions in critical legal education, including the use of arts-based pedagogies.