The Cambridge Legal History of Australia

This volume from leading lawyers, historians and social scientists explores encounters of laws, people, and place in Australia since 1788.

Peter Cane (Edited by), Lisa Ford (Edited by), Mark McMillan (Edited by)

9781108499224, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 August 2022

814 pages
23.7 x 16.1 x 4.4 cm, 1.38 kg

'This superb volume showcases the sparkling insights and deep research that have placed Australian legal history at the forefront of global scholarship on interactions of Indigenous, imperial, and settler law. A stunning achievement.' Lauren Benton, Yale University

Featuring contributions from leading lawyers, historians and social scientists, this path-breaking volume explores encounters of laws, people, and places in Australia since 1788. Its chapters address three major themes: the development of Australian settler law in the shadow of the British Empire; the interaction between settler law and First Nations people; and the possibility of meaningful encounter between First laws and settler legal regimes in Australia. Several chapters explore the limited space provided by Australian settler law for respectful encounters, particularly in light of the High Court's particular concerns about the fragility of Australian sovereignty. Tracing the development of a uniquely Australian law and the various contexts that shaped it, this volume is concerned with the complexity, plurality, and ambiguity of Australia's legal history.

1. Editor's introduction Peter Cane, Lisa Ford and Mark Macmillan
Part I. Cultures of Law: 2. Plural Legal orders: concept and practice Shaunnagh Dorsett
3. English legal culture in the late 18th century: institutions and values David Lieberman
4. Lawful Mary Spiers Williams
Part II. Public Authority: 5. Colonial settlement to colony Bruce Kercher
6. Colonial self government Ann Curthoys and Jessie Mitchell
7. Federation Brendan Lim
8. Constitutionalism in Australia Cheryl Saunders
9. Indigenous governance
9.1 Mparntwe/Alice Springs: Towards a history of indigenous and settler jurisdictions Tim Rowse and Jennifer Green
9.2 Gunditjmara and Ngarrindjeri: Case studies of indigenous self-government Daryle Rigney, Denis Rose, Alison Vivian, Miriam Jorgensen, Steve Hemming and Shaun Berg
Part III. Public Authorities in Encounter: 10. The challenge of indigenous polities Kirsty Gover and Eddie Cubillo
11. Australia as empire Miranda Johnson and Cait Storr
12. Australia and the World Coel Kirkby
Part IV. Land and Environment: 13. Settlement and dispossession Lisa Ford and David Andrew Roberts
14. Australian land law Maureen Tehan
15. Aboriginal land rights, subjection and the law Amanda Kearney
16. Land justice Jason Behrendt and Sean Brennan
17. Environment Ruth A Morgan and Judith Jones
Part V. Social Organisation: 18. Colonial law and its control of aboriginal and Torres Strait islander families Terri Libesman, Katherine Ellinghaus and Paul Gray
19. The legal history of non-indigenous marriage Alecia Simmonds
20. Protection regimes Amanda Nettelbeck
21. Economic and social welfare Anne O'Brien
22. Civil rights and indigenous people Gary Foley and Crystal McKinnon
23. Rights Frank Bongiorno
24. Citizenship and immigration Rayner Thwaites
Part VI. Social Ordering: 25. Criminal law and the administration of justice in early New South Wales and van diemen's land David Andrew Roberts
26. Criminal justice after the convicts: A history of the long twentieth century Andy Kaladelfos and Alana Piper
27. Indigenous peoples and settler criminal law Mark Finnane
28. Civil wrongs Mark Lunney
29. Labour law Diane Kirkby
30. Place and race in australian copyright law: May gibbs' and albert namatjira's copyright Kathy Bowrey
Part VII: Reckonings: 31. Indigenous legal traditions and australian legal education Nicole Watson
32. Reckoning with the past Shino Konishi.

Subject Areas: Legal history [LAZ], Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC], Indigenous peoples [JFSL9], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]