Professor Ann Black
Professor
TC Beirne School of Law
+61 7 336 52243
W251 Forgan Smith Building, St Lucia campus
Researcher biography
Professor Ann Black researches in the field of comparative law, law & religion, and legal pluralism, with particular interest in Islamic law and the law and legal cultures of Asia, especially Brunei Darussalam. She teaches two comparative law courses in the undergraduate program - Asian Legal Systems and Introduction to Islamic law in addition to Fundamentals of the Common Law and Comparative Criminal Law in the School's Master's program. Professor Black received the UQ Teaching Excellence Award in 2022, and in 2023 she received the prestigious Award for Teaching Excellence at the Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Professor Black is a co-author with Gary Bell, of Law and Legal Institutions of Asia: Traditions, adaptations and innovations (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and Modern Perspectives on Islamic Law, with Hossein Esmaeili and Nadirsyah Hosen, (Edward Elgar, 2013), and Religious Freedom in a Secular Society, with Jahid Hussein in Brill's Studies in Religion, Secular Beliefs and Human Rights (2022) and Religious Freedom and Accommodating Religious Diversity: Challenges and Responses (2023). Another book co-edited with Jahid Bhuiyan, Freedom of Religion and Religious Diversity: State Accommodation of Religious Minorities (Routledge) will be available October 2024.
Professor Black is the Executive Director, Comparative Law, in the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law and is the Program manager for the Centre's Indonesian Law Program, the Legal Pluralism Program, and the Korean Law Program and is a member of the Law and Religion in the Asia-Pacific and the Federalism and Multilevel Governance Program.
Publications
Books
Black, Elizabeth Ann, Esmaeili, Hossein and Hosen, Nadirsyah (2013). Modern perspectives on Islamic Law. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. doi: 10.4337/9780857934475
Black, Elizabeth A., R Woodgate, J Biggs and D Owens (2008). Legal Studies for Queensland Vol 1. 5th ed. Brisbane: Legal Eagles publications.
Black, Elizabeth A. (2003). Legal Solutions and Resources Manual. 4th ed. ed. Indooroopilly, Brisbane: Legal Eagle Publications.
Woodgate, R., Black, E. A., Biggs, J. and Owens, D. (2002). Legal Studies for Queensland. 3rd ed. Indooroopilly, QLD: Legal Eagle Publications.
Book Chapters
Black, Ann (2024). Religious rights: testing the limits of tolerance. Courts and diversity: twenty years of the constitutional court of Indonesia. (pp. 145-172) edited by Bertus de Villiers, Saldi Isra and Pan Mohamad Faiz. Boston, MA USA: Brill/Nijhoff. doi: 10.1163/9789004691698_007
Black, Ann (2023). The Syariah factor: one of the many challenges for ‘Foreign’ judges in the courts of Brunei Darussalam. The Cambridge handbook of foreign judges on domestic courts. (pp. 409-426) edited by Anna Dziedzic and Simon N. M. Young. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781009106238.241
Black, Ann and Bhuiyan , Md Jahid Hossain (2022). Religious freedom in a secular state: an introduction. Religious freedom in a secular state: a 21st century perspective . (pp. 3-20) edited by Md Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan and Ann Black . Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Nijoff. doi: 10.1163/9789004449961_002
Black, Ann (2022). In the time of the COVID-19: law, religious freedom and the secular state. Religious freedom in secular states: a 21st century perspective . (pp. 42-72) edited by Md Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan and Ann Black . Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff. doi: 10.1163/9789004449961_004
Black, Ann (2021). Recalibrating the scales of criminal justice in Brunei Darussalam: religious penal clauses 1905–2018. Religious offences in common law Asia: colonial legacies, constitutional rights and contemporary practice . (pp. 351-388) edited by Li-ann Thio and Jaclyn L. Neo. Oxford, United Kingdom: Hart Publishing. doi: 10.5040/9781509937325.ch-011
Black, Ann (2019). Cultural expertise in Australia: colonial laws, customs, and emergent legal pluralism. Cultural expertise and socio-legal studies: Special Issue. (pp. 133-155) edited by Austin Sarat and Livia Holden. Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing. doi: 10.1108/S1059-433720190000078008
Black, Ann and Black, Peter (2018). Mixed Blessings. Fatwas in the Age of Technology. Tools of Meaning; Representation, Objects, and Agency in the Technologies of Law and Religion. (pp. 239-264) edited by Branco, Patricia, Hosen, Nadirsyah, Leone, Massimo and Mohr, Richard. Rome, Italy: Aracne.
Black, Ann (2018). Colonial legacies: family laws in Singapore and Australia. Research handbook on Islamic law and society. (pp. 13-47) edited by Nadirsyah Hosen. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781781003060.00008
Black, Ann (2018). Judicial independence, impartiality and integrity in Brunei Darussalam. Asia-Pacific judiciaries: independence, impartiality and integrity. (pp. 57-80) edited by Hoong Phun (H. P.) Lee and Marilyn Pittard. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316480946.006
Black, Ann and Black, Peter (2018). Going global: Australia looks to internationalise legal education. Legal education in Asia: from imitation to innovation. (pp. 42-71) edited by Andrew Harding, Jiaxiang Hu and Maartje de Visser. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff. doi: 10.1163/9789004349698_004
Black, Ann (2016). Islamic exceptionalism: do the religious and legal imperatives of Islam necessitate special responses by legal regimes in secular nations. Muslim integration: pluralism and multiculturalism in New Zealand and Australia. (pp. 229-250) edited by Erich Kolig and Malcolm Voyce. Lanham, MD, United States: Lexington Books.
Black, Ann (2016). Brunei (sultanate of Brunei Darussalam). Encyclopedia of law and religion. (pp. 56-60) edited by Gerhardt Robbers and W. Cole Durhan. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff.
Black, Ann (2014). Can there be a compromise? Australia's state of confusion regarding shari'a family law. Muslim family law in Western courts. (pp. 149-167) edited by Elisa Giunchi. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315796369
Black, Ann and Jung, Kwang-Soo (2014). When a revealed affair is a crime, but a hidden one is a romance: an overview of adultery law in the Republic of Korea. The International Survey of Family Law. (pp. 275-308) edited by Bill Atkin. Bristol, United Kingdom: Jordon Publishing.
Black, E. Ann (2011). Brunei Darussalam: ideology and law in a Malay sultanate. Law and legal institutions of Asia: traditions, adaptions and innovations. (pp. 299-339) edited by E. Ann Black and Gary F. Bell. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511921131.010
Black, Ann (2010). In the shadow of our legal system: Shari'a in Australia. Shari'a in the West. (pp. 239-254) edited by Rex Ahdar and Nicholas Aroney. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
Black, Ann (2010). Informed by ideology: A review of the court reforms in Brunei Darussalam. New courts in Asia. (pp. 327-349) edited by Andrew Harding and Penelope (Pip) Nicholson. London, U.K.; New York, U.S.A.: Routledge.
Ann Black (2009). Finding the Equilibrium for Dispute Resolution: How Brunei Darussalam Balances a British Legacy with Its Malay and Islamic Identity. Islam in Southeast Asia. (pp. 185-214) edited by Joseph Liow and Nadirsyah Hosen. New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781843145165
Black, Ann (2009). Brunei Darussalam: balancing a British legacy with a Malay and Islamic identity. Islam in Southeast Asia. (pp. 185-214) edited by Joseph Liow and Nadirsyah Hosen. New York, NY, United States: Routledge.
Black, E.A (2008). Criminal law. Australian Commercial Law. (pp. 836-854) edited by Clive Turner. Sydney: Lawbook Co..
Black, Ann (2006). Constitution of Brunei Darussalam. Encyclopedia of World Constitutions. (pp. 1-1) edited by Gerhard Robbers. New York, United States: Facts on File.
Black, E. A. (2006). Criminal Law. Australian Commercial Law. (pp. 826-837) edited by Clive Turner. Sydney, Australia: Thomson Lawbook Company.
Black, Ann (2006). Constitution of East Timor. Encyclopedia of World Constitutions. (pp. 1-1) edited by Gerhard Robbers. New York, United States: Facts on File.
Black, Ann (2006). Islamization, modernity and the re-positioning of women in Brunei. Mixed blessings: Law, religions, and women's rights in the Asia-pacific region. (pp. 211-239) edited by Amanda Whiting and Carolyn Evans. Leiden, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publisher.
Black, E. A. (2005). Criminal Law. Australian Commercial Law. (pp. 952-969) edited by Clive Turner. Pyrmont NSW: Lawbook Company.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2002). Brunei. Legal Systems of the World: a Political. Social and Cultural Encyclopedia. (pp. 199-205) edited by Herbert Kritzer. Santa Barbara: ABC Clio.
Journal Articles
Black, Ann (2023). The Syariah Factor One of the Many Challenges for 'Foreign' Judges in the Courts of Brunei Darussalam. Cambridge Handbook of Foreign Judges On Domestic Courts, 409-426.
Black, Ann (2022). Exporting a Constitutional Court to Brunei? Benefits and prospects. Constitutional Review, 8 (2), 361-391. doi: 10.31078/consrev826
Black, Ann (2022). The Sultanate of Brunei's gender paradox. Australian Journal of Asian Law, 23 (2) 4, 45-61.
Black, Ann (2022). Development of Sharia and legal studies in Australia. Jurnal Hukum Islam, 20 (1) 2, 23-48. doi: 10.28918/jhi.v20i1.6506
Black, Ann (2022). Regulating the COVID-19 pandemic: fatwas, law, and policy in Australia. Journal of Law and Policy Transformation , 7 (1), 9-27. doi: 10.37253/jlpt.v7i1.6710
Black, Ann (2020). Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum: Royalty, Women, and Ideology in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Royal Studies Journal, 7 (2), 94-116. doi: 10.21039/rsj.269
Black, Ann (2020). An Islamic Court in Context: an ethnographic study of Judicial Reasoning
An Islamic Court in Context: an ethnographic study of Judicial Reasoning By Erin E. Stiles [Palgrave McMillan, 2009]
. Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law & Practice , 16 (1), 222-227.
Black, Ann (2019). Casting the first stone: the significance of Brunei Darussalam’s Syariah Penal Code order for LGBT Bruneians. Australian Journal of Asian Law, 20 (1) 18, 247-263.
Black, Ann (2019). Brunei Darussalam: small by choice but great in the eyes of Allah. Comparative Law Journal of the Pacific, XXIII, 81-108.
Black, Ann (2019). Cultural expertise in Australia: colonial laws, customs, and emergent legal pluralism. Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, 78
Black, Ann (2017). Adaptations of Islamic family law for the Australian context. Australian Journal of Family Law, 159-179.
Sadiq, Kerrie and Black, Ann (2012). Embracing Sharia-compliant products through regulatory amendment to achieve parity of treatment. Sydney Law Review, 34 (1), 189-211.
Black, Ann (2012). Court ceremonies, ritual and symbolism: how islamic law and common law are conceptualised and apply to an unlawful killing. Griffith Law Review, 21 (2), 499-532. doi: 10.1080/10383441.2012.10854751
Black, Ann (2012). Replicating ‘a model of mutual respect’: could Singapore’s legal pluralism work in Australia?. The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, 44 (65), 65-102. doi: 10.1080/07329113.2012.10756682
Black, Ann (2012). Replicating a 'model of mutual respect': could Singapore's legal pluralism work in Australia?. Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, 65, 65-102.
Black, Ann and Sadiq, Kerrie (2011). Good and bad Sharia: Australia's mixed response to Islamic law. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 34 (1), 383-412.
Black, Ann (2010). Window into shariah family law. Part one: Aspects of marriage. Family Relationships Quarterly, 15, 3-7.
Black, Ann (2010). Window into shariah family law. Part two: Aspects of divorce. Family Relationships Quarterly, 16, 11-13.
Black, Ann (2010). Legal recognition of Sharia Law: Is this the right direction for Australian family matters?. Family Matters, 84, 64-69.
Black, Elizabeth A. (2009). Fatwas and surgery: How and why a fatwa may inform a Muslim patient's surgical options. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 79 (12), 866-871. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.05135.x
Black, Ann and Hosen, Nadirsyah (2009). Fatwas: Their role in contemporary secular Australia. Griffith Law Review, 18 (2), 405-427. doi: 10.1080/10383441.2009.10854648
Black, Ann (2009). 'The Stronger Rule of the More Enlightened European': The consequences of colonialism on Dispute Resolution in the Sultanate of Brunei. Legal History, 13 (1), 93-122.
A Black (2008). Accommodating Shariah Law in Australia's Legal System. Alternative Law Journal, 33 (4), 214-219.
Black, Ann (2008). Ideology and Law: The Impact of the MIB Ideology on Law and Dispute Resolution in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 3 (1), 1-41. doi: 10.2202/1932-0205.1059
Black, Elizabeth A. (2008). Finding the Role for Shari'a Law in Post- Reformasi Indonesia. Lawasia Journal, 2008, 165-180.
Black, Elizabeth A. (2007). Double Jeopardy: Why Several Common Law Countries Are Tinkering with One of the Laws Most Treasured Precepts. NJA Law Journal, 1 (1), 121-144.
Black, Ann (2007). 'Globalisation and resistance: law reform in Asia since the crisis', by Christoph Antons and Volkmar Gessner (eds). Lawasia Journal, 2007, 225-228.
Black, Ann and Hussain, Jamila (2006). Responding to the challenge of multiculturalism: Islamic law courses in law school curricula in Australasia. The Flinders Journal of Law Reform, 9 (2), 205-226.
Black, E A (2006). Women and Religion in the Legal System of Brunei Darussalam. Pandora's Box, 2006, 14-31.
Black, E A and Seop, (2006). The Blind Masseurs' Case. Lawasia Journal, 2006, 249-256.
Black, E.A. (2005). International Law and Religion: Survival or Extinction? Aministic Dispute Resolution in the Sultante of Brunei. Willamette Journal of International Law & Dispute Resolution, 13 (1), 1-25.
Black, E.A. (2005). Law, Medicine, Politics and the Media: Unravelling the Dr Death Inquiry. The Verdict, 11, 15-20.
Black, E. A. (2004). Islamic Law. The Verdict, Summer 2004 (8), 18-21.
Black, Ann (2004). Islam: Its law and society. The University of Queensland Law Journal, 23 (1), 265-267.
Black, E. A. (2004). Beyond myths and misunderstanding: What consent to sexual acts really means. The Verdict, Spring 2004 (7), 6-8.
Black, Ann (2003). Finding the equilibrium for dispute resolution: How Brunei Darussalam balances a British legacy with its Malay and Islamic identity. International Trade & Business Law Annual, 8, 185-214.
Black, Ann (2003). Spotlight on Double Jeopardy. The Verdict (2), 3-5.
Black, E. A. (2002). Alternative dispute resolution in Brunei Darussalam: The blending of imported and traditional processes. Bond Law Review, 13 (2), 305-334.
Black, E. A. (2002). ADR in Brunei Darussalam: the meeting of three traditions. The ADR Bulletin, 4 (8), 107-109.
Black, E. A. (1999). Negotiating with the Chinese. International Trade & Business Law Annual, 4, 303-304.
Black, E. A. (1999). Book Review: Ford's principles of corporations law. International Trade & Business Law Annual, 4 (4), 313-314.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (1997). Courts of Final Jurisdiction: the Mason Court in Australia. International Trade and Business Law Annual, 3
Black, Elizabeth Ann (1997). Corporate and Commercial Law: Modern Developments. International Trade and Business Law Annual, 3
Ann Black and N Spegal (1997). Revamping the Tutorial. Southern Cross University Law Review, 2005, 1-1.
Conference Papers
Black, Ann (2023). Sharia and Australian Family Law. Bangle Foundation's Domestic Abuse Awareness Conference , Australian Cente for Unity: Slack's Creek Mosque , 25-26 February 2023.
Black, Ann (2022). Exporting a Constitutional Court to Brunei? An analysis of the Benefits and Prospects . 5th International Constitutional Court International Symposium, Bali, Indonesia, 5 -7 October 2022. Bali, Indonesia:
Black, Ann (2021). Development of sharia and legal studies in Australia. Ist International Conference of Sharia and Legal Studies., Pekalongan, Indonesia, 9 -10 November 2021.
Black, Ann (2021). The Syariah Factor: One of the many challenges for foreign judges in the courts of Brunei Darussalam. Foreign Judges on Domestic Courts , Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong , 3-7 May 2021.
Black, Ann (2019). Can I have a fatwa?: uses and abuses of fatwa in an electronic and global age. Global Law Conference: CLE, Paris, France, 3-5 January 2019.
Black, Ann (2019). Brunei Darussalam: undertaking a bold experiment in criminal law. National Criminal Law of ASEAN Countries, Bangkok, Chulalongkorn University, 21 May 2019.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2018). At the Crossroads: Islam, law & tolerance in SE Asia. Global Law Conference, CLE, Paris, 4th- 5th January, 2018.
Black, Ann (2018). Law, religion and tolerance in Southeast Asia: at the crossroads?. Britain Pacific Conference, London, United Kingdom, 14-21 December 2018.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2017). Can I have a fatwa on that?. Global Law Conference, CLE, Paris, 5-6 January.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2016). Mixed Blessings: Fatwas in the Age of Technology. International Symposium on Technologies of Law and Religion: Representation, Objects and Agency, Monash University Prato Centre, Prato, Italy, 13-15 June 2016.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2016). Cultural expertise in Australia: Colonial laws, customs, and emergent legal pluralism. Cultural Expertise in Socio-Legal Studies and History Conference, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, 15-16th December 2016. Oxford, UK: Oxford University.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2016). Pluralism under threat: Brunei and beyond. Transacting with the Asia-Pacific: Theory and Practice presented by the Asia-Pacific Legal Institute of Australia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 30 September 2016.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2015). Consent: an Islamic Perspective. Medico-Legal Section of the Australian & International ENT Conference, Canazei, Italy, 18-23 January 2015.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2015). The Way Forward: Legal Pluralism, Dualism or Keeping 'One Law for All'?. Religion, Culture and Legal Pluralism Symposium, University of Western Sydney, 14-15 September 2015.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2015). Syariah Criminal Law in a Religiously Diverse Nation. 12th [ASLI] Asia Law Institute Conference, Taipei, Taiwan, 21 -22 May 2015.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2015). Australia: legal pluralism, dualism or keeping 'One Law For All'?. Shari'a, culture and legal pluralism international symposium, Sydney, Australia, 14-15 September 2015.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2012). Legal pluralism 'Down Under'. 4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang, Malaysia, 13-14 July 2012. Malaysia: The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWSIA).
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2012). Can Islamic family law be reconciled in non-Muslim countries? Challenges and solutions. Shariah Law Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 5 December 2012.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2011). Maintaining the Right to Be Different:: Situating Islamic Family Law Within Secular Common Law Legal Systems. LAWASIA, Seoul, South Korea, October 2011.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2011). Ritual, Ceremony and Symbolism in Murder Trials: a Comparative Analysis of Islamic Law and the Common Law. Ceremonies of Law, Woolongong, December 2011.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2011). Beating a Different Drum: Islam, Politics and Women's Rights in Brunei Darussalam. Spirited Voices from the Muslim World: Islam, Democracy and Gender Rights, The University of Sydney, April 2011.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2011). A System of Mutual Respect: - Would Singapore's Model of Legal Pluralism Work in Australia?. Asian Law Institute Seminar Series, National University of Singapore, September 2011.
Black, Elizabeth A. (2008). Muftis and Fatawa, Qadis and Qada. Supreme Court of Queensland Judge's Conference 2008, Customs House Brisbane, 11th August 2008.
Black, Elizabeth Ann (2008). Muftis and Fatawa, Qadis and Qada. Supreme Court of Queensland Judge's Conference 2008, Customs House, Brisbane, 11 August 2008.
Black, E. A. (2007). Giving limited recognition to Shariah Law in Australia: An appraisal. 20th Biennial LawAsia Conference, Hong Kong, 5-8 June 2007.
Black, E. A. (2007). Encountering Shariah Law. Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13 August 2007. Brisbane, QLD Australia: AIIA Queensland Branch.
Black, Ann (2007). Informed by ideology: A review of the court reforms in Brunei Darussalam. New Courts in the Asia-Pacific Region Conference, Victoria, Canada, 13-15 July 2007. Victoria, Canada: The Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives.
Black, E. A. (1999). Cross-cultural dimensions in student perceptions of teaching of law. 16th Biennial Lawasia Conference, Hotel Lotte, Seoul, Korea, 7-11 September, 1999. Seoul: Lawasia.
Black, E. A. (1999). Testing the Water: Reflecting on a Trial of Assessable Group Work for First Year Law Students. Teaching & Education Development Institute Cong., Women's College,The University of Queensland, 1st to 2nd November, 1999. Brisbane: The University of Queensland.
Seminar Paper
Black, Ann (2022). Pluralising Legalities: Religious Freedom in Secular States . Legal Pluralism and Law Reform. Otago Centre for Law and Society , Faculty of Law Otago Univeristy .
Working Paper
Black, Ann (2012). Lessons from Singapore: an evaluation of the Singapore model of legal pluralism. Working paper series. 026. Asian Law Institute (ASLI).
Thesis
Black, E. A. (2002). Dispute Resolution in Brunei Darussalam: the blending of acquired ideas with tradition. Professional Doctorate, Bond University.
Newspaper Articles
Black, Ann (2021, 09 23). Brunei Darussalam: Whither Pluralism in the “Abode of Peace”? Religion and Global Society
Ann Black (2021, 06 24). Something amiss in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam: reflections on diversity, inclusion,
and the rule of law Advancing Together: Rule of Law Updates and Perspectives 10-14 .
Black, Ann (2020, 04 24). Brunei’s stoning for ‘gay-sex’ law flies under the radar East Asia Forum
Reference Entries
Black, E. A. (2002). Brunei.