Upcoming events

Over the course of a few decades, socio-legal methods and methodologies have become increasingly important in law faculties. Having the benefit of learning from decades of movements (legal realism, law and society, law and economics, feminist legal studies, socio-legal studies, empirical legal studies, critical legal studies, and new legal realism), some early career researchers studying corporations and corporate law are beginning to use using both empirical and doctrinal methods in ways their predecessors might not have anticipated. It is important to develop this strand of corporate law research and to ensure strong collaborative links between socio-legal studies and corporate law, which examines arguably the largest source of private power in the modern world. This workshop will give participants an opportunity to share their work and methodologies with other emerging scholars, to get feedback from senior socio-legal scholars, and to discuss the potential for future research collaborations among early-career researchers based in Australia and New Zealand.

It is intended that this workshop will result in a collective of Corporate Law and Society Scholars (CLASS) aiming to advance interdisciplinary research and scholarship that examines corporate law through the lens of law and society methodologies in Australia and beyond. The goal is to foster critical dialogue and collaboration among scholars to explore the dynamic interactions between corporate governance, legal frameworks, and societal impact. We believe that this collective will create a distinct sub-filed of corporate law research in Australasia that goes beyond doctrinal methods. Ultimately, we hope to create a vibrant intellectual community committed to addressing the pressing challenges at the intersection of corporate law, social justice, and governance.

There will be limited funding for travel bursaries as a result of funding support received by LSAANZ and the priority will be given to casual colleagues and HDRs unable to obtain institutional support to attend the workshop.

Feel free to send any questions to:

• Rangika Palliyaarachchi R.Palliyaarachchi@westernsydney.edu.au

• Akshaya Kamalnath Akshaya.Kamalnath@anu.edu.au

• Meredith Edelman meredith.edelman@monash.edu.

Religious freedom and religious discrimination remain contested issues in Australia. Studies show that religious minorities remain particularly vulnerable to discrimination, marginalisation, and vilification but also to legislative attempts to curtail religious practices, such as Queensland’s attempt to ban the Sikh kirpan in schools. This one-day workshop to be held at Macquarie University on 6 February 2025 aims to bring together scholars working on law and religion from sociolegal and non-legal perspectives, as well as representatives from faith and community organisations to critically reflect on the role of law in Australia’s shifting religious landscape with a particular focus on religious minority groups. Questions to be explored include but are not limited to: What kinds of protections do religious minority groups need? How should schools, employers, and various public institutions respond to and accommodate religious diversity? What does it mean to grapple with the legacy of Christianity as the dominant religion in contemporary multicultural Australia? Is the current legal framework built around equality law and human rights protection adequate to protect Indigenous forms of spirituality? 

The workshop is intended to provide a collaborative and supportive environment to foster and enhance dialogue between academics, faith communities, and the legal sector; and create a forum for interdisciplinary and empirically informed conversations on the legal governance of religious diversity in an Australian context that is responsive to the multicultural reality. We hope that insights generated by the workshop will also have the potential to provide meaningful input to law reform, such as the ongoing debate about a religious discrimination bill and the reform of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act.

How to Participate:

We invite proposals for papers – whether already developed or work in-progress. Paper proposals may consider issues of law and religion from a variety of methodological backgrounds. While our focus is mainly on the Australian context, we also invite and appreciate comparative perspectives from New Zealand. Depending on the focus and format of the papers, we will explore the opportunity for publication of special issue in a sociolegal journal.

Please submit the title and an abstract of your paper (max 250 words) to amira.aftab@mq.edu.au and mareike.riedel@mq.edu.au by 30 November 2024. 

To support in-person participation, we will offer two needs-based travel stipends (max. 500AUD) to PhD students, ECR scholars (defined as Level A or B up to 5 years after conferral of Phd) or precariously employed scholars who do not have access to alternative sources of funding. If you would like to be considered for a travel stipend, please indicate your type of employment, the date of your PhD if applicable, and include any specific circumstances that you would like the organisers to consider in your application for the travel stipend (i.e. reason for no access to alternative travel funding).