New France Possession & Dispossession of Indigenous Land: The Role of Terra Nullius

Daniel T.

This factsheets provides an in-depth examination of how the concept of 'terra nullius' was used by European settlers to justify the dispossesion and possession of Indigenous land. The factsheet provides a historic example of the use of 'terra nullius' in the founding of the colony New France.

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References

Cavanagh, E. (2014). "Possession and Dispossession in Corporate New France, 1600–1663: Debunking a “Juridical History” and Revisiting Terra Nullius". Law and History Review, 32(1), pp. 97-125. DOI: 10.1017/S0738248013000679
Sitara, G. "New France." [Powerpoint Lecture]. University of Victoria, BC, September 22, 2020.

Source Authors

Edward Cavanagh, Georgia Sitara

Events

Keywords

Canada's Colonial History, Christianity, Colonial settlement, Doctrine of Discovery, European Settlers, Indigenous Diplomacy, Indigenous Sovereignty, Interrupting Colonial Narratives, Justifying Injustice, Land and Power, Land Defence, Land Dispossession, Legal History, Settler Colonialism, Settler-Indigenous Relations, Stories and Power, Terra Nullius, Treaty History

Key Figures

Algonquian, Chief Anadabijou, Iroquois, Pope Alexander VI, Samuel Champlain

Locations

1603, Montreal, New France, North America, St. Lawrence Region, Tadoussac

Themes

History