Religion and Legal Pluralism AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Series

In recent years, there have been a number of concerns about the recognition of religious laws and the existence of religious courts and tribunals. There has also been the growing literature on legal pluralism which seeks to understand how more than one legal system can and should exist within one social space. However, whilst a number of important theoretical works concerning legal pluralism in the context of cultural rights have been published, little has been published specifically on religion. Religion and Legal Pluralism explores the extent to which religious laws are already recognised by the state and the extent to which religious legal systems, such as Sharia law, should be accommodated.

Contents: Preface; The impossible compromise, Russell Sandberg. Part I In Practice: Religion and the state: recognition, regulation and facilitation, Mark Hill QC; Turbulent priests: how the Church of England disciplines its errant clergy, Christopher Smith; Who regulates marriage? The case of religious marriage and divorce, Gillian Douglas; Quakers and the campaign for same sex marriage, Frank Cranmer; The use of experts in the Roman Catholic canon law of marriage, Eithne D’Auria; Religious symbols and the making of contemporary religious identities, Sylvie Bacquet. Part II Particular Issues: Quasi-law and religion, David Pocklington; Legal pluralism, religious conservatism, Amina Hussain; Internet-based new religious movements and dispute resolution, Beth Singler; Religious pluralism as a legal principle, Dorota A. Gozdecka. Part III In Theory: What do you believe? Taxonomy of a subjective legal pluralism, Amy R. Codling; Public space, private face: veiling as a challenge for legal reasoning, Celia G. Kenny; Principles of a pluralist secularism, Margaret Davies; Religious law as a social system, Russell Sandberg. Appendix, Russell Sandberg and Frank Cranmer. Index.

Russell Sandberg is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Cardiff University where he researches at the Centre for Law and Religion. His publications include Law and Religion and Religion, Law and Society.