Liberating Legal Education: Using Critical Feminist Pedagogy to Educate on the Problems of Oppression and Gender-Based Violence

Both the criminal justice system and post-secondary institutions have deep histories of racism, inequality, and misogyny. Recent legislative changes have sought to remedying this reality through policy and judicial education. This thesis takes up these issues by arguing that post-secondary institutions, especially law schools, should dismantle these inequalities by ensuring that students are educated on these difficult issues prior to the beginning of their legal careers. This thesis uses both theoretical and empirical work to show that critical feminist pedagogies should be used in order to challenge the inequality present in a academic institutions, and present students with a broader understanding of oppression and gender-based violence. It present a practical application of progressive pedagogies and how relational theory can help bridge the gap between privilege and experience when dealing with subjects of oppression and violence.