75
A Sho S o y abou
UA c ic Ac i i ies om
he Sub-g oup o
Philosophy o Law in he
A c ic
Dawid Bunikowski
∗
One o he la ges and mos ac i e
ne wo ks o he Uni e si y o he A c ic
is he A c ic Law Thema ic Ne wo k.
The e a e mo e han one hund ed
membe s o he Ne wo k. This Ne wo k
consis s o ou sub-g oups. One o hem
is he Sub-g oup o Philosophy o Law in
he A c ic. This sho s o y is o p esen
some ac i i ies o his Sub-g oup.
1. The Sub-g oup o Philosophy o Law
in he A c ic
The Sub-g oup o Philosophy o Law in
he A c ic is he "younges " o he sub-
g oups o he Ne wo k. I was
es ablished in he end o 2015. This was
a g ass- oo s le el ini ia i e (by D .
Dawid Bunikowski om he Uni e si y
o Eas e n Finland ha ime) ha was
∗ D ., Leade o he UA c ic Sub-g oup o he Philosophy o Law in he A c ic; Senio Lec u e , Highe
Voca ional S a e School in Wloclawek, Depa men o Public Adminis a ion (Poland); Resea ch
Schola , Ronin Ins i u e o Independen Schola ship (US); Resea che , IGDORE - Ins i u e o Globally
Dis ibu ed Open Resea ch and Educa ion (Sweden); Dis inguished Academic Associa e, Cen e o Law
and Religion, Ca di School o Law and Poli ics, Ca di Uni e si y (UK); dawidbu@ue . i.
1 Thema ic Ne wo k on A c ic Law es ablishes new sub-g oup: Philosophy o Law in he A c ic,
h ps://www.ua c ic.o g/news/2015/11/ hema ic-ne wo k-on-a c ic-law-es ablishes-new-sub-g oup-
philosophy-o -law-in- he-a c ic/ (08.12.2018).
2 Ibidem.
suppo ed by he Leade ship o he
Ne wo k ( hen P o . Timo Koi u o a)
and he Au ho i ies o he Uni e si y o
he A c ic ( he UA c ic P esiden ). The
i s Leade became D. Bunikowski. All
he membe s o he Sub-g oup we e
in i ed by he Leade . In ew cases hey
we e ecommended by he Leade ship
o he Ne wo k. The e a e wen y six
membe s o he Sub-g oup now
(Decembe 2018). The e a e bo h
olde /dis inguished and
younge / alen ed schola s in he eam.
Many membe s a e in hei mid-ca ee s
hough. Anyway, ele en p o esso s and
six associa e p o esso s as well as i e
senio esea che s/assis an p o esso s
and ou doc o al candida es o m his
Sub-g oup.
The aim o he Sub-g oup is “ o es ablish
a ne wo k o A c ic philosophe s o law
and schola s in e es ed in legal
philosophy in he A c ic”.1 The Sub-
g oup includes “schola s wi h di e en
academic backg ounds”, i.e. “no only
lawye s, bu also A c ic an h opologis s
o indigenous eligions and
communi ies, his o ians, cul u al
ecologis s o jus philosophe s”.2 This is
a e y in e disciplina y and
76
in e na ional eam. And, ha was indeed
he key idea in he p ocess o
es ablishing he Sub-g oup.
Subs an ially, wha is he mos
impo an aim o he Sub-g oup in doing
common esea ch? As s a ed in o he
place, i is o y “ o answe wo
ques ions:
1) Wha is "A c ic indigenous peoples'
law" om he poin o iew o Wes e n
philosophy o law?
2) Wha is "law" o indigenous peoples
in he A c ic?”3
2. Ac i i ies o he Sub-g oup o
Philosophy o Law in he A c ic
The Sub-g oup is ac i e as a place o
sha ing in o ma ion abou he membe s'
publica ions and esea ch ideas o
p ojec s. Also, his is o in o m abou
e en s conce ning he Sub-g oup's main
esea ch ield. Anyway, he Sub-g oup is
o do common esea ch as well.
Gene ally, ac i i ies o he membe s o
he Sub-g oup migh be desc ibed in his
way: w i ing a common book/common
book p oposal, o he publica ions, and
o he ac i i ies (p esen a ions,
o ganisa ion o semina s, cou ses,
handbooks, book launches).
Fi s o all, in mid-2016 he Sub-g oup
published an e-book wi h a i le
3 Ibidem.
4 New e-publica ion: Philosophy o Law in he A c ic, h ps://www.ua c ic.o g/news/2016/7/new-e-
publica ion-philosophy-o -law-in- he-a c ic/ (09.12.2018).
5 Ibidem.
Philosophy o Law in he A c ic.4 The e-
book was edi ed by D. Bunikowski and
o mally suppo ed and eleased by he
Uni e si y o he A c ic ( he Oulu
headqua e s). This was he i s book o
his kind in he li e a u e. As i was
s a ed and ad e ised a he UA c ic
websi e, “The book is a esul o esea ch
conduc ed by many membe s o he Sub-
g oup o Philosophy o Law in he
A c ic. The aim o he book is o de ine
and sys ema ize A c ic legal philosophy
p oblems. In his book, he e a e i e
hema ic pa s, wi h six een sho a icles
all oge he ”.5
One o he ela i ely ecen bu e y
impo an common ac i i ies o he Sub-
g oup is a new book p oposal. In 2017,
he Sub-g oup was in ensi ely wo king
on he book p oposal on philosophy o
law in he A c ic. The book p oposal was
inally w i en by he Leade and sen o
Rou ledge in No embe 2017. The
p oposal was app o ed by he
Rou ledge Publishing Commi ee in
Janua y 2018, wi h some hema ic
modi ica ions, and is unde con ac ha
was signed in Feb ua y 2018. The book
i le is Philosophies o Pola Law (in he
Pola Law Se ies). The book is edi ed by
D. Bunikowski and Adjunc P o esso
D . A. D. Hemmings (New
Zealand/Aus alia). The book p ojec
conce ns philosophies o law in bo h
77
poles (no only in he A c ic as i was
ini ially planned) and is he i s p ojec
o his kind in he wo ldwide li e a u e.
This ambi ious book should be
published in 2020.
The e o e, he membe s o he Sub-
g oup a e ac i e in publishing hei
esea ch esul s. Fo example, he mos
ac i e membe s in his ield in 2017 we e:
Eme i us P o esso Pa ick Dillon o he
Uni e si y o Exe e (UK) and he
Uni e si y o Eas e n Finland, Associa e
P o esso Elena Gladun om Tyumen
S a e Uni e si y (Russia), Associa e
P o esso Mau a Han ahan om he
Uni e si y o Le hb idge (Canada),
Senio Resea che Leena Heinämäki
om he Uni e si y o Lapland
(Finland), D hab. Agnieszka Szpak om
Nicolaus Cope nicus Uni e si y
(Poland), and Dawid Bunikowski
(Leade ).
Some ac i i ies and o he elemen s om
2017-2018 should be highligh ed he e.
(Howe e , i is impossible o no e all he
esea ch ac i i ies o w i ings.) Thus,
Mau a Han ahan published a book wi h
a i le Unchained Man: The A c ic Li e and
Times o Cap ain Robe Ba le (2018, S .
John’s, NL: Boulde Publica ions).
Mau a old he au ho o his sho
6 By he way, Mau a is no only an acclaimed schola bu also a Canadian w i e /au ho (e.g. see he
bes -selle Tsunami).
7 Fo mo e see: h ps://cap ainbobba le .com/ (09.12.2018).
8 This is he link o he book:
h ps://yadi.sk/mail?hash=I6dP81GA5epeHWDumDy7zZL9Vgg W5U %2ByexsjEYG7s%3D
(09.12.2018).
9 The book is unde he link:
h ps://www.sp inge .com/gp/book/9783319575315#o he e sion=9783319575322 (09.12.2018).
a icle ha “ he book examines A c ic
explo a ion using eminis and
Indigenous lens while keeping he ocus
on a compelling na a i e”.6 She also has
a blog called All Things A c ic.7
Mo eo e , she de eloped and deli e ed
(Janua y-Ap il 2018) he Uni e si y o
Le hb idge’s i s Inui S udies cou se:
Na i e Ame ican S udies 3850: The Inui o
he A c ic and suba c ic. The class limi
was 40 and i was illed wi h o he
s uden s wan ing o egis e bu hey
had no oom. Elena Gladun issued he
handbook Law and Policy o Sus ainable
De elopmen o he Russian A c ic8 (2018;
by Ge man esea che s and Elena
Gladun). I is he i s (academic and
in e na ional) expe ience o he kind. She
also published a book chap e on
P ese a ion o Te i o ies and T adi ional
Ac i i ies o he No he n Indigenous
Peoples in he Pe iod o he A c ic Indus ial
De elopmen in he book The
In e connec ed A c ic (Sp inge 2017).9
Leena Heinämäki co-edi ed a book wi h
a i le Expe iencing and P o ec ing Sac ed
Na u al Si es o Sámi and o he Indigenous
Peoples: The Sac ed A c ic (Sp inge 2017)
and published ou book chap e s wi h
Sp inge , Rou ledge and B ill ( his
conce ns only one yea - 2017). Gio gio
Ba uchello published his ou olumes
78
o philosophical essays in 2017-2018 (1.
Mo als, Money, and Mas e s o Though ; 2.
Philosophy o C uel y; 3. The Business o
Li e and Dea h, Volume I: Values and
Economies; 4. The Business o Li e and
Dea h, Volume II: Poli ics, Law, and Socie y;
all by Ga ineau, Canada: No hwes
Passage Books).
Dawid Bunikowski and Pa ick Dillon
de eloped hei esea ch on combining
he heo ies o cul u al ecology and o
legal plu alism, wi h pa icula e e ence
o he A c ic. Thei esea ch esul s we e
published in: 1) D. Bunikowski, P.
Dillon, A gumen s om cul u al ecology
and legal plu alism o ecognising
indigenous cus oma y law in he A c ic
(chap e ), [in:] Expe iencing and
Sa egua ding he Sac ed in he A c ic:
Sac ed Na u al Si es, Cul u al Landscapes
and Indigenous Peoples’ Righ s, eds. Leena
Heinämäki, Tho a Ma ina He mann,
Sp inge 2017, and 2) P. Dillon, D.
Bunikowski, A amewo k o loca ion-
sensi i e go e nance as a con ibu ion o
de eloping inclusi i y and sus ainable
li es yles wi h pa icula e e ence o he
A c ic, Cu en De elopmen s in A c ic
Law, ol. 5 (2017), eds. Kam ul Hossain,
Anna Pe é ei, Ro aniemi 2017.
Bunikowski also de eloped hese
conside a ions in a legal con ex in a
pape en i led The Righ o Indigenous
10 This is a ailable he e:
h ps://www. esea chga e.ne /publica ion/325119506_Making_and_i s_cul u al_ecological_ ounda io
ns (09.12.2018).
11 He e is he link o he p og am p ess elease: h ps://www.cies.o g/si es/de aul / iles/FAI-P ess-
Release-2018-Schola -Announcemen .pd (09.12.2018).
12 See: h ps://www.cies.o g/ ulb igh -a c ic-ini ia i e/2018-2019-schola s (09.12.2018).
Peoples o hei Own Law (No dic Jou nal
o Law and Jus ice, Re æ d, N . 2, 2017)
and many o he a icles in 2016-2018.
Dillon con inued o esea ch and w i e in
he ield o cul u al ecology (see his la es
chap e Making and i s cul u al ecological
ounda ions10 om 2018).
The e was also some g ea honou o
he Sub-g oup in he end o 2017. Elena
Gladun was nomina ed as a Fellow o
he Fulb igh A c ic Ini ia i e p og am
in 2018-2019, which is unique as i s
second coho uni es 16 esea che s om
all he A c ic coun ies o one and a hal
yea o in e na ional in e disciplina y
esea ch11 and sha ing in o ma ion
abou all he pa icipan s and hei
ac i i ies (including Elena's esea ch).12
One o he ecommenda ions in he
applica ion p ocess was w i en by he
Leade o he Sub-g oup. Tha said, his
awa d is a g ea honou o he Sub-
g oup as well.
3. Recen ac i i ies
Howe e , om he las mon hs in 2018
we shall emembe ha Agnieszka
Szpak published a book in Polish
(Sep embe 2018, To un) abou human
secu i y o indigenous peoples in he
A c ic ( he Sami case). The i le in
English sounds like ha : Human Secu i y
79
o Indigenous Peoples in he A c ic. The
Sami Case. Selec ed Issues. I is he i s
book o his kind w i en in Polish. I
co e s bo h poli ical sciences and
in e na ional law issues. I is good ha
he Sami p oblem is p esen ed o he 38-
million Polish audience: he wo ldwide
li e a u e (Hossain, Koi u o a,
Heinämäki, Tobin, Dillon e c.) ha is
analysed in he book becomes mo e
known in one o he ( ela i ely) no he n
coun ies.
Also, as we know, he UA c ic cong ess
was held in Oulu and Helsinki in
Sep embe 2018.13 One o ou membe s,
Tahnee P io co-o ganised a side e en
on women o he A c ic.14 This e en was
a spec acula success. As we ealize,
he e a e many se ious p oblems
conce ning women (no only indigenous
women) and hei s a us in he A c ic.
Tahnee is con inuing he e o s o
highligh his opic.15
4. Conclusions
The Leade ship o he Sub-g oup does
hope ha he e will be many ac i i ies o
come in he nea u u e. The e ha e been
many ac i i ies so a . Gene ally
speaking, his seems impo an o
de elop a philosophical (and mo al,
13 See abou he cong ess: h ps://www.ua c ic.o g/calenda /ua c ic-cong ess-2018/ (09.12.2018).
14 See he p og amme: h ps://cong ess.ua c ic.o g/p og am/side-e en s/women-o - he-a c ic/
(09.12.2018).
15 Mo e abou he p ojec is he e: h p://www.gende isno planb.com/ (09.12.2018).
16 See also mo e: D. Bunikowski, Why am I In e es ed in he Philosophy o Law in he A c ic? On Some Chosen
Bu Essen ial E hical Challenges o Conduc ing Resea ch in he Field, Cu en De elopmen s in A c ic Law,
ol. 4 (2016), eds. Timo Koi u o a, Waliul Hasana , Ro aniemi 2016.
e hical, axiological) app oach o legal
s a es o hings and legal conside a ions
while in he A c ic. Finally, all his wha
we do he e is abou jus ice (ius) and law
(lex) in he A c ic.16 Howe e , we ha e
many di e en pe spec i es, app oaches,
and ways o hinking he e.
A achmen : The lis o he membe s o
he Sub-g oup o Philosophy o Law in
he A c ic (Decembe 2018):
1. P o esso René Kuppe (Aus ia;
Uni e si y o Vienna, Depa men o
Legal Philosophy, Law o Religion and
Cul u e),
2. Senio Resea che D . Leena Heinamäki
(Finland; Uni e si y o Lapland,
No he n Ins i u e o En i onmen al
and Mino i y Law), he ice-leade o he
Uni e si y o he A c ic Thema ic
Ne wo k on A c ic Law,
3. Eme i us P o esso Pa ick Dillon* (UK;
Uni e si y o Exe e , College o Social
Sciences and In e na ional S udies;
o me Visi ing P o esso a he
Uni e si y o Eas e n Finland,
Philosophical Facul y),
4. Leade o he Sub-G oup D . Dawid
Bunikowski (based in Finland), he chai

80
o he Sub-g oup on Philosophy o Law
in he A c ic,
5. Associa e P o esso in In e na ional Law
Agnieszka Szpak (Poland; Nicolaus
Cope nicus Uni e si y, Facul y o
Poli ical Science and In e na ional
Rela ions),
6. Assis an P o esso in Legal Theo y D .
Ka ol Dob zeniecki (Poland; Nicolaus
Cope nicus Uni e si y, Facul y o Law),
7. Associa e P o esso Ta iana Zykina
(Russia; No he n (A c ic) Fede al
Uni e si y, Depa men o Labou Law
and Legal Science),
8. Associa e P o esso o Communi y Heal h
Elisabe h Rink** (US; Mon ana S a e
Uni e si y, College o Educa ion, Heal h
and Human De elopmen ),
9. P o esso Ree a Toi anen*** (Finland;
Uni e si y o Helsinki, Helsinki Ins i u e
o Sus ainabili y Science HELSUS),
10. P o esso Diana Ginn (Canada;
Dalhousie Uni e si y, Schulich School o
Law),
11. P o esso Rebecca Johnson (Canada;
Uni e si y o Vic o ia, Facul y o Law),
12. P o esso o Philosophy and Public
Policy Mako o Usami (Japan; Kyo o
Uni e si y, G adua e School o Global
En i onmen al S udies),
13. Resea che D . F ancis Joy# (Finland;
Uni e si y o Lapland, A c ic Cen e),
14. P o esso o An h opology o Law Anne
G i i hs (UK, Sco land; Uni e si y o
Edinbu gh, Edinbu gh Law School),
15. Eme i us P o esso Tom G. S ensson¤
(No way; Uni e si y o Oslo, Museum
o Cul u al His o y),
16. P o esso Ko Hasegawa (Japan;
Hokkaido Uni e si y, School o Law),
17. P o esso and Chai o Law and
Globalisa ion Jaakko Husa (Finland;
Uni e si y o Helsinki, Facul y o Law),
18. Associa e P o esso Ch is ina Alla d
(Sweden; Luleå Uni e si y o
Technology, Di ision o Social Sciences /
Law uni ; No way; he A c ic Uni e si y
o No way),
19. Resea ch Fellow D . B endan M. Tobin
(Adjunc Lec u e , I eland; Na ional
Uni e si y o I eland, I ish Cen e o
Human Righ s, Galway; Ashoka Fellow;
o me ly: Aus alia; G i i h Uni e si y,
G i i h Law School, Na han Campus),
20. Associa e P o esso Elena Gladun
(Russia; Tyumen S a e Uni e si y;
execu i e edi o BRICS Law Jou nal),
21. P o esso Gio gio Ba uchello*****
(Iceland; Uni e si y o Aku ey i, Facul y
o Humani ies and Social Sciences), Pa -
Mi'kmaq and a band membe (Canada),
22. Associa e P o esso (in Na i e
Ame ican S udies & PhD p og am,
Cul u al, Social and Poli ical Though )
Mau a C. Han ahan## (Canada;
81
Uni e si y o Le hb idge, Sou he n
Albe a);
Recen membe s:
23. Resea che and PhD candida e Tahnee
Lisa P io (Canada; Uni e si y o
Wa e loo),
24. Resea che and PhD candida e
Dominika Ta ino a (Slo akia/Aus ia;
Uni e si y o Vienna, Facul y o Law);
Indigenous (Sámi) schola s:
25. Resea che and PhD candida e Anne
Nuo gam (Finland; Uni e si y o
Lapland),
26. Resea che and PhD candida e Anne-
Ma ia Magga**** (Finland; Uni e si y o
Lapland and Uni e si y o Oulu),
All he men ioned schola s a e lawye s,
wi h some excep ions:
* English cul u al ecology p o esso
( isi ing p o esso in Eas e n Finland
since mid-90s ill 2018).
** Ame ican public heal h p o esso
wo king wi h he Inui in G eenland and
he Sioux in Mon ana.
*** Finnish social an h opologis
in e es ed in human igh s, mino i y
igh s, and indigenous issues.
**** Indigenous social scien is (also
inishing Mas e 's P og amme in
In e na ional and Compa a i e Law -
The MICLaw Mas e P og amme, wi h
specialisa ion in A c ic Law and
Go e nance, a he Uni e si y o
Lapland).
***** I alian-Icelandic philosophe .
Edi o o No dicum-Medi e aneum.
# English his o ian o eligion in e es ed
in he Sami cul u e and eligion
(shamanism).
¤ No wegian social an h opologis
conduc ing esea ch on he Sámi in bo h
Sweden and No way, and o
compa a i e easons, simila s udies
among he Nisga´a, B.C., Canada and he
Ainu (Japan).
## Canadian-indigenous schola wi h a
e y mixed backg ound: sociology,
an h opology, poli ical science and he
PhD in Sea-Use Law, Economics and
Policy.