Featured publications 

Philosophy, Law and Culture of Liberal Democracy and the Authoritarian Challenge by Suri Ratnapala

Defending liberal democracy against rising authoritarianism is a moral imperative in our time!

Liberal democracy is the great legacy of the Enlightenment; it has reduced world poverty, increased life expectancy, enriched lives by every measure of wellbeing and enlarged our moral compass. Yet, external threats to liberal democracy are posed by totalitarian regimes and their allies seeking to remake the world in their image, and internal pressures arise from opposition to liberal principles from the extremities of the ideological spectrum: radicalism on the left and nativist populism on the right. The defence of liberal democracy requires understanding of its foundational principles, epistemological norms, institutional framework, cultural underpinnings and economic settings.

In Philosophy, Law and Culture of Liberal Democracy and the Authoritarian Challenge, acclaimed author and legal scholar Emeritus Professor Suri Ratnapala provides combines extensive legal analysis with the history and philosophy of liberal constitutionalism, institutional economics and ethical reasoning. It engages with opposing schools of thought, including radical critical theory and authoritarian ideologies of the right. This book is not just an academic exercise; it is a call to action. It is highly instructive on matters of administrative and constitutional law, the epistemology and ethics of political liberalism, and the pressing threats to fundamental rights and freedoms.

Freedom of Religion and Religious Diversity: State Accommodation of Religious Minorities, a groundbreaking volume edited by esteemed CPICL Fellows, Professor Jahid Bhuiyan and Professor Ann Black. Published by Routledge in 2024, this essential work delves into the intricate and often contentious issue of how states accommodate religious minorities within their borders.

The book features significant contributions from CPICL members, with five of its 19 chapters written by CPICL Fellows. These five chapters are included in Part Three: Freedom of Religion and Accommodation of Religious Diversity in Asia. Highlights include:

• Religious Minorities in Brunei and Malaysia by Prof Ann Black (UQ and CPICL Director of Comparative Law)
• Freedom of Religion and Religious Minorities in Indonesia: The Local Beliefs Case by Ahmad Rofii and Nadirsyah Hosen (External CPICL Fellow & Assoc Prof at Melbourne University)
• Muslim Religious Minorities in India and Citizenship Amendment Act by Md Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan (CPICL External Fellow & Professor of Law, Independent University, Bangladesh)
• The Accommodation of Islamic Inheritance Law in ‘Secular’ India by Dr. Brooke Thompson (CPICL External Fellow)
• State Regulation and Promotion of New Religious Movements within the two ‘Spiritual Vacuums’ of Japan and China by Anthony Shaw (CPICL Research Scholar

The nineteen chapters in the book explore the obstacles and responses to accommodation of religious minorities in a range of jurisdictions. Whilst most nations seek to implement the ideal of freedom of religion, it shows, whether East or West, in the global North or the South, there is no simple formula for accommodating religious diversity. Different faith communities have competing needs and demands. This book highlights responses from liberal democracies which enshrine secularism into their constitutions to other constitutions where religion and ethnic identity are enshrined to prioritise their ethno-religious majority. 

Religious Freedom in Secular States: a 21st Century Perspective

This book reflects on what constitutes the core values, tenets, cultural, historic, and ideological parameters of secularism in international contexts. In twelve chapters, this edited work examines current tensions in liberal secular states where myriad rights and freedoms compete regarding education, healthcare, end-of-life choices, clothing, sexual orientation, reproduction, and minority interests. It explores the legal complexity of defining a ‘religion’ through judicial decisions and scrutinises Christianity, Hinduism and Islam’s relative success in accommodating religious pluralism.

Part One explores the religious practice and persecution nexus, COVID-19’s effect on religious freedom, religious education, burqas/headscarves, and religious culture in civil law. Part Two explores the constitutional principle of secularism in Member States of the Council of Europe, US Religious Clauses, and religious freedom in South Africa, UK, Australia, and India.

Editors: Md. Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan (External CPICL Fellow) and  Ann Black (CPICL Executive Director (Comparative Law). Both are members of CPICL’s Legal Pluralism Program.

Legal Systems of the South Pacific 

With no new books written on these legal systems for nearly 30 years, the book fills a gap in the literature and offers a true 'insider' perspective with the majority of authors being indigenous or long-term residents of the countries in question. 

Editors: Jennifer Corrin, Tony Angelo, Cambridge, UK, Intersentia, 2021. 

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