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Institutions And Linguistic Conventions: The Pragmatism Of Lieber's Legal Hermeneutics, Guyora Binder

Journal Articles

This article presents Francis Lieber’s 1839 treatise “Legal and Political Hermeneutics” as a surprisingly modern and pragmatic account of interpretation. It first explicates the two most important influences on Liber’s thought, the romantic philology of Friedrich Schleiermacher, and the institutional positivism of Whig jurists Story and Kent. It shows that both of these sources frankly acknowledged that interpretation is an institutional practice, organized by the evolving aims and customs of the institutions within which it took place. Both tended to view the writing and reading of texts as the deployment of linguistic conventions. Both movements thereby viewed meaning for all …

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The Mi'kmaq And The Fishery: Beyond Food Requirements, Bruce H. Wildsmith

Dalhousie Law Journal

The Mi'kmaq, the traditional Aboriginal nation in Nova Scotia, are struggling to find their place in the modern fishery. Significant milestones have been achieved, including the Denny, Paul and Sylliboy (N.S.C.A.) case establishing the right of the Mi'kmaq to harvest fish for food and the Simon (S.C.C.) case affirming the continuing validityof the Mi'kmaq Treatyof 1752, a treaty that contains an express right to sell fish. Though fishing by the Mi'kmaq for food no longer appears to be a subject of controversy (assuming the needs of conservation have been met), the spectre of commercial aspects to the Mi'kmaq fishery is …

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