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Aina Khan in Academic Publications

 

Aina Khan, OBE has worked with many academic institutions in the UK and abroad. She has presented lectures and collaborated on projects with:

  • Oxford University
  • University of London:
    • London School of Economics (LSE)
    • School of Oriental and African studies (SOAS)
    • Queen Mary College
    • Institute of Advanced Legal Studies London
  • Warwick University
  • Cardiff University
  • University of South Wales
  • University of Kent
  • University of Sussex
  • University of Birmingham
  • Harvard University
  • Brandeis University, Boston, USA
  • Washington University in St Louis
  • Villanova University
  • University of Milan, Italy
  • University of Seville, Spain
  • Erlingen University, Germany
  • Max Planck Research Institute, Germany
  • Interfaith Legal Advisers Network (ILAN)
  • Law and Religion Scholars Network (LARSN)

AINA KHAN IN ACADEMICS

Culture in the Domains of Law

What does it mean for courts and other legal institutions to be culturally sensitive? What are the institutional implications and consequences of such an aspiration? To what extent is legal discourse capable of accommodating multiple cultural narratives without losing its claim to normative specificity? And how are we to understand meetings of law and culture in the context of formal and informal legal processes, when demands are made to accommodate cultural difference? The encounter of law and culture is a polycentric relation, but these questions draw our attention to law and legal institutions as one site of encounter warranting further investigation, to map out the place of culture in the domains of law by relying on the insights of law, anthropology, politics, and philosophy. Culture in the Domains of Law seeks to examine and answer these questions, resulting in a richer outlook on both law and culture.

Muslim Families, Politics and the Law: A Legal Industry in Multicultural Britain

Contemporary European societies are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, certainly in terms of the diversity which has stemmed from the immigration of workers and refugees and their settlement. Currently, however, there is widespread, often acrimonious, debate about ’other’ cultural and religious beliefs and practices and limits to their accommodation. This book focuses principally on Muslim families and on the way in which gender relations and associated questions of (women’s) agency, consent and autonomy, have become the focus of political and social commentary, with followers of the religion under constant public scrutiny and criticism. Practices concerning marriage and divorce are especially controversial and the book includes a detailed overview of the public debate about the application of Islamic legal and ethical norms (shari’a) in family law matters, and the associated role of Shari’a councils, in a British context. In short, Islam generally and the Muslim family in particular have become highly politicized sites of contestation, and the book considers how and why and with what implications for British multiculturalism, past, present and future. The study will be of great interest to international scholars and academics researching the governance of diversity and the accommodation of other faiths including Islam.

Campaign Calls for a Change to the Marriage Act

The Register Our Marriage Campaign established by Khan in 2014, calls for a change to the Marriage Act 1949 to ensure that all religious marriages are registered and encourages Muslims to register their marriages.

The Marriage Act 1949 requires all religious faiths (other than the Church of England, Jews and Quakers) to register their premises for the purpose of marriages. In order to form a legally valid marriage, the parties must give notice to the superintendent registrar and obtain a certificate authorising them to marry.

Unregistered Muslim Marriages

Regulations and Contestations 24-25 April 2017 De Montfort University Leicester, England.

Marriage Rites and Rights

Recent years have seen extensive discussion about the continuing retreat from marriage, the increasing demand for the right to marry from previously excluded groups, and the need to protect those who do not wish to marry from being forced to do so. At the same time, weddings are big business, couples are spending more than ever before on getting married, and marriage ceremonies are increasingly elaborate. It is therefore timely to reflect on the rites of marriage, as well as the right to marry (or not to marry), and the relationship between them.To this end, this new interdisciplinary collection brings together scholars from numerous fields, including law, sociology, anthropology, psychology, demography, theology and art and design. Focusing on England and Wales, it explores in depth the specific issues arising from this jurisdiction’s Anglican heritage, demographic development, current laws and social practices.

Family Law, State Recognition and Intersecting Spheres/Spaces

Jewish and Muslim Women Divorcing in the UK – Pascale Fournier

When Jews and Muslims marry in Western countries, the ceremonies often include both a religious and civil element, thereby occupying cultural and legal spaces simultaneously. Under religious law, husbands and wives have distinct rights and responsibilities within the marriage. When a marriage breaks down, access to religious divorce is drawn sharply along gender lines.

Unregistered Marriages

Research and Publications