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Project Leaders: Associate Professor Jeremy Kingsley (WSU-SOL) & Professor Tim Lindsey (The Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, based at Melbourne Law School)
Working Group Coordinators: Professor Rehan Abeyratne (WSU-SOL), Dr Maria Bhatti (WSU-SOL) and Dr Rangika Palliyaarachchi (WSU-SOL)
As Western Sydney prepares to go global with Australia’s newest international airport, WSU School of Law (SOL) is introducing a flagship international research partnership to reconceptualise the legal and political connections within our region. The InterAsian Legalities Cluster will seek to place WSU-SOL, and the university, more broadly at the forefront of the biggest challenges from pandemics, decarbonisation and transnational crime networks to artificial intelligence and other forms of technological disruption.
In order to investigate these challenges, we have officially launched the Cluster, which is a partnership between the Arab Council of Social Sciences, The Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS/ based at Melbourne Law School), and WSU School of Law.
The InterAsian Legalities Cluster is built upon the strong foundations of the InterAsia Partnership with global scholars from universities such as Duke University, National University of Singapore, Exeter University, Tsinghua University, Northwestern University Qatar, and Groningen University. The secretariat of this Partnership is based at the Arab Council (based in Beirut).
This Cluster will consider the contemporary realities and historical foundations that legal systems and cultures are built upon in Asia. It responds to a conundrum that entails the reconceptualisation of Asia as a set of interconnected processes: as borders are being crossed more easily than ever before, abetted by technological advancements in digital infrastructure, local legal regimes and actors continue to maintain their local socio-political and territorial identities.
Lawyers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, union officials and public servants are entering an increasingly complex professional life in which their skills and knowledge will be tested within globally inter-connected legal realities. The goals of this research cluster are to undertake research, and develop educational initiatives, that are simultaneously cognisant of deeply local, and grounded, legal and governance realities while being aware and able to interpret global regulatory and governance systems.
Consequently, the cluster takes seriously the imperative to develop new ways of thinking about how people and laws interact across borders, while also investigating the ongoing importance of local legal regimes and socio-political actors. The cluster will engage with contemporary realities and the unique historical foundations of Asia’s legal systems and cultures to help shape the way Australia conceives its place in our region and the world.`
Strengthening these collaborations, the network of scholars involved in the InterAsian Legalities will play a pivotal role in reconceptualising the ways that Asia and Australia connect with the rest of the world, in a context of deepening globalization, technological advancements in digital infrastructure, and transnational challenges to environmental protection and sustainability.
Cluster was launched on 30 April 2024 at the WSU Parramatta City Campus by Professor Catherine Renshaw, Interim Dean of WSU-School of Law, and Dr Seteney Shami, Director-General of the ACSS (via video message).
This research program is connected to a current ARC-funded research project (Obstacles to Contract Enforcement in Indonesia).
Past Events
InterAsian Legalities Cluster
InterAsian Legalities Connections and Frictions
When: Tuesday, 10 September @ 5:00-6:30pm (Parramatta City Campus, PC-01.7.29).
Speakers: Dr Sven Gallasch (Deakin Law School) and Associate Professor Jeremy Kingsley (WSU-SOL).
Reconciling Islamic and international contract laws
When: Thursday, 3 October @ 12:00-1:30pm (Paramatta South Campus, PS-EB.3.21).
Speakers: Associate Professor Lisa Spagnolo (Macquarie Law School) and Dr Maria Bhatti (WSU-SOL).
For more information please contact:
Associate Professor Jeremy Kingsley.
We are also planning a Cluster Leadership Retreat in Surabaya for February 2025. Highlighting our regional research and educational outlook.