A Theory of Discrimination Law

by Tarunabh Khaitan (Oxford UP)

A Melbourne Law School Future Fellow, Tarun Khaitan’s book on discrimination law was this year awarded the Woodward Medal in Humanities and Social Sciences by the University of Melbourne. The book has also been internationally lauded and cited by the European Court of Human Rights. In it, Khaitan sets out a conceptual framework for understanding the definition and scope of discrimination law, then ties this back to the legal doctrines of several Western common law countries. The result has been praised by legal and philosophical scholars alike for its originality, ambition and execution. Modern Law Review hails it as “sophisticated, extensive and among the best normative accounts of discrimination law available”, while Law and Philosophy describes it as “magnificent and wide-ranging”.

Little Stones

by Elizabeth Kuiper (UQP)

In her debut novel Little Stones, MLS JD student Elizabeth Kuiper portrays what life was like growing up in 1990s Zimbabwe. Hannah is 11 years old, white, wealthy and largely unaware of her position and privilege. Her best friend is black, and so is her housekeeper. Yet when ‘war vets’ force her grandparents to leave their farm, Hannah begins to look more deeply at her relationships and her notion of home. Kuiper does not attempt to explain the political climate of Zimbabwe. The reader is only aware of the social unrest through overheard conversations among the adults in Hannah’s life, yet Hannah’s naivety serves to highlight the casual racism and colonial thinking around her. Loosely based on Kuiper’s own experiences growing up in Zimbabwe, Little Stones is an insightful reflection on the country’s recent history, and what it means to belong.

The Earth Below

by Katy Barnett (Ligature)

While writing a remedies text and multiple articles, teaching, editing MLS’s High Court blog Opinions on High, having a baby and being promoted to Professor, Katy Barnett somehow found time to write an excellently-plotted science-fiction novel. The Earth Below details an 18-year-old’s escape from both the restrictive society and the underground warren into which she was born. The protagonist, Marri, navigates complex social norms, a tangle of tunnels and difficult relationships. Before it was even published, the book had been commended for the Victorian Premier’s Award for an Unpublished Manuscript.