Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar

Co-edited by Melissa Crouch, UNSW Law  and Tim Lindsey

Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar

This edited volume addresses the dynamics of the legal system of Myanmar/Burma in the context of the dramatic but incomplete transition to democracy that formally began in 2011. It includes contributions from leading scholars on a range of key legal issues now facing Myanmar, such as judicial independence, constitutional law, human rights and institutional reform. The first chapter examines how a resurrection of law has started in Myanmar with opportunities emerging for law reform that would have been unthinkable five years ago. The current political transition has reinvigorated engagement between the legal profession and the government, including the Parliament and the Attorney-General’s Office.  It has also created room for connections between local actors and international law firms, non-government organisations and a range of other groups. The resulting scramble for information by legal practitioners and international development agencies is a reflection of the practical challenges for access to information about law in Myanmar and the lack of scholarship on law in the country. The book also features chapters on the legal history of Myanmar, electoral reform, the role  of the judiciary, economic reforms and the state of company law. It also draws on the experiences of other countries to contextualise Myanmar’s transition to democracy in a comparative setting, including Myanmar’s participation in regional bodies such as ASEAN. This topical book comes at a critical juncture in Myanmar’s legal development and will be an invaluable resource for students and teachers seeking greater understanding of the legal system of Myanmar.

Hart Publishing

Demystifying Sustainability: Towards Real Solutions

Dr Haydn Washington, UNSW Science

Demystifying Sustainability

Much has been said about the terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development”. This book aims to demystify sustainability so that the layperson can understand the key issues, questions and values involved. Accessible and engaging, the book examines the “old” sustainability of the past and looks to the future, considering how economic, ecological and social sustainability should be defined if we are to solve the entwined environmental, economic and social crises. It looks to the future after examining the difficult but central issues of overpopulation and overconsumption that drive unsustainability and explores  the central role played by society’s world view and ethics, along with humanity’s most dangerous characteristic – denial.

Routledge

Military Robots – Mapping  the Moral Landscape

Jai Galliott, UNSW Arts & Social Sciences

Military robots

Philosophers have wrestled over the morality and ethics of war for nearly as long as humans have been waging it. The death and destruction that unmanned warfare entails magnifies the challenges we face in conventional warfare and everyday society. Intrinsically linked are questions and perennial problems concerning what justifies the initial resort to war, who may be legitimately targeted, who should be permitted to serve the military, and the methods of dealing with violations of the laws of war. This book provides a comprehensive and unifying analysis of the moral, political  and social questions concerning  the rise of drone warfare.

Ashgate

Men Who Sell Sex –  Global Perspectives

Edited by Scientia Professor Peter Aggleton, Arts & Social Sciences

Men who sell sex

All over the world, men as well as women exchange sex for money and other rewards. Yet relatively little is known about male sex work, leaving major questions unanswered about the individuals involved: their personal and social identities, their self-understandings and beliefs, the practices concerned, and the contexts in which these occur. Edited by Scientia Professor Peter Aggleton, this book updates a groundbreaking 1998 volume of the same name. It includes new chapters exploring health, social, political and human rights issues. Pushing the boundaries of current understandings, Men Who Sell Sex is a key book for academics and researchers interested in sex work and men’s health.

Routledge

Fugitive Books:  The U Committee’s Book Fair 1968–2012 & Women’s Voluntary Work at UNSW

Roderic Campbell

Fugitive Books

The UNSW Book Fair, Sydney’s largest book sale, started  in 1968 during a moment of optimism for bookselling and publishing, and closed in 2012 at a time of uncertainty over the future of books and libraries. The Book Fair was founded, organised and run by the U Committee, a group of volunteer women who fundraised for a diversity of projects at UNSW. It was the committee’s largest,  most demanding, and most financially rewarding fundraising activity. This book tells the story  of that book fair, as well as of  the significant contribution  of the U Committee.

UNSW Archives