Anisa Buckley
PhD Candidate (Islamic Studies) Asia Institute Email: buckleya@unimelb.edu.au |
Background
Anisa Buckley is a PhD Candidate in Islamic Studies at the Asia Institute and a Research Assistant with the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam at The University of Melbourne, and is a recipient of an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship. Previous qualifications include an MA (Islamic Studies) from the University of New England, Armidale, a Graduate Certificate in International Development from RMIT, and a B.Ed from The University of Sydney. The title of her MA thesis submitted in 2004 was 'Muslim Integration in the West: A Case Study on Australia'. She has held various positions including as a consultant with LB International Consultants, as a Director with Islamic Foundation Australia Inc, and as a Board Member of Noor Al Houda Islamic College.
Research Interests
- Legal pluralism and religious traditions
- Multiculturalism and minority communities
- Political philosophy and the role of culture in modern states
- Feminist interpretations of law and gender construction
- Personal status laws within religious communities
- Intellectual contributions of women to Islamic history and law
PhD research
Anisa's PhD topic is on 'Muslim women and Islamic family law: the challenges of securing a 'complete' divorce in Australia and Britain'. Her research seeks to identify the extent to which Islamic religious authorities in Australia and Britain are effective in assisting Muslim women gain an Islamic divorce. Given that such Islamic procedures are not recognised by the civil legal system, Muslim women must often pursue divorce through two separate systems, the civil and the Islamic. The aim of her research is to identify how Muslim women make use of various avenues and methods to secure what she terms a 'complete' divorce, or in other words, reach a point at which they feel no barriers exist that prevent them from remarrying freely.
Conference Papers/Presentations
2007
- 'The Business of Spousal Relations: Evaluating economic approaches to marriage and divorce in classical Islam and among Muslim communities', presented as part of the CILS 3rd Annual Islamic Studies Postgraduate Conference, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 13-14 November 2007
- 'From Prohibiting Levirate to Mandating Conditional Talaq: The interplay of Islamic laws and cultural practices in marriage and divorce', presented as part of the CILS Islam Research Seminar Series, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 3 October 2007
- 'Muslim Women and Islamic Family Law: Managing the politics of gender and authority in Australia', presented as part of the Asia Institute Seminar Series, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, The University of Melbourne, 9 August 2007
- 'Current issues in Islamic family law', presented as a guest speaker for the Fundamentals of Islamic Law graduate course, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 31 May 2007
- 'Da’wah activities and events in Australia', presented at the First Global Discover Islam Conference, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, 13-17 March 2007
2006
- 'Movers and Shakers: Reconstructing Islam in Contemporary Muslim Thought' presented as part of the Soul of Islam Lecture Series, Yasuko Hiaoka Myer Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, The University of Melbourne, 31 July 2006
- 'Divorce in Islamic law: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives', presented as part of the CILS Islam Research Seminar Series, Law School, The University of Melbourne, 26 July 2006
- ‘A Muslim perspective of Australian identity in the contemporary political context’, presented as a guest speaker for the POLI 1025 Contemporary Australian Politics course offered by RMIT, Melbourne Central Conference Centre, 25 May 2006
- 'Sacred Irreverence: Religious Identities in Secular Australia', presented as part of the Australian Muslims Dialogue Series, 22 May 2006
- ‘Development of Islamic Family Law in the West: ‘Private’ Spheres within Multicultural Jurisdictions’, presented as a guest speaker for the LAWS 718 Women’s and Human Rights Under Islam course held at The University of South Carolina, USA, 21 February 2006
2005
- ‘Implementing Shariah in the West: Negotiating the Role of Islamic Family Law in England, Canada and Australia’, presented at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam (CILS) Islamic Studies Postgraduate Conference, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 21-22 November 2005
- ‘Issues Facing Muslims Today’, presented at the Asialink Leadership Program Islam Day, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Melbourne, 14 November 2005
- ‘Muslim Philanthropy in Australia’, presented at the Australian Research Council (ARC): Asia Pacific Futures Research Network (APFRN) Workshop on ‘Philanthropy for Social Justice in Muslim Countries’ at Flinders University, Adelaide, 7 November 2005
- ‘Islamic Philanthropy in Australia: Historical and Contemporary Experiences’, presented at the Philanthropy Australia Philanthropy Expo on ‘A Wealth of Experience’ at the Sofitel, Melbourne, 11 October 2005
2002
- ‘The Needs of Minority Students’, presented at the ACTA/ESLE (Australian Council of TESOL Associations/ESL Educators) Conference at Glenelg, South Australia, January 2002