Overview

Highlighting experiences and voices historically overlooked, this book answers the need for a more inclusive curriculum in family law in England and Wales. It helps readers diversify their understanding of the law and its impact on citizens, equipping students with the vital skills and knowledge they need to be lawyers in the real world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rajnaara C. Akhtar (University of Warwick)
Publisher:   Bristol University Press
Imprint:   Bristol University Press
ISBN:  

9781529245318

ISBN 10:   1529245311
Pages:   364
Publication Date:   13 January 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Undergraduate ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction – Rajnaara C. Akhtar Part 1: Adult Relationships 1. Exposing Marriage Law: Colonial Definitions and Legacies – Zainab Batul Naqvi 2. Assimilation or Difference? Same-Sex Relationship Recognition in England and Wales – Andy Hayward 3. The Financial Realities of Getting Divorced in England and Wales – Emma Hitchings, Caroline Bryson and Gillian Douglas 4. Family Dispute Resolution: Meeting the Challenge of Diversity – Maria Federica Moscati 5. Accessing Family Justice Without Lawyers – Rachael Blakey 6. Religious Communities and Family Dispute Resolution: The Sharia Councils Debate – Rehana Parveen Part 2: Children and Family Law 7. Legal Parenthood and Same-Sex Couples – Brian Sloan 8. Child Protection Intersectionality: Disparities in Racially Minoritised and Asylum-Seeking Backgrounds – Rachel Pimm-Smith 9. Participation of Children in Family Justice Processes – Connie Healy Part 3: Domestic Abuse and Family Laws 10. It Can Happen to Anyone, but Not Everyone Has the Same Experience: The Need for Better Legal Responses to Domestic Abuse in the Family Justice System – Mandy Burton 11. Forced Marriage in the UK: How Intermediaries and Expert Witnesses Help Successful Prosecutions – Aisha K. Gill 12. In the Shadow of Hostile Environment and Bordering Regimes: Understanding Migrant Women’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse and Legal-Institutional Responses – Sundari Anitha 13. The Invisibilisation of Male Victims in the Family and Criminal Courts: Domestic Abuse, False Allegations, Parental Alienation and Honour-Based Abuse – M.M. Idriss, EA Bates and B Hine Conclusion – Rajnaara C. Akhtar

Reviews

‘This exciting new collection will be an essential addition to family law reading lists. It encourages students to look beyond the law and reflect on how it is experienced in practice by individuals depending on their age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity or socio-economic status.’ Rebecca Probert, University of Exeter ‘Family law is shaped by diverse cultural, religious, and economic contexts, and family law scholarship must reflect this complexity. This collection is both powerful and timely: it cuts through myths, and challenges sweeping assumptions about how family law is experienced today. It draws on a broad range of perspectives, from critical feminist studies to decolonising approaches, and issues, from the impact of child protection laws on racially minoritised and asylum-seeking children, to the struggles faced by migrant women and male survivors of domestic abuse, amplifying voices that are too often ignored. Engaging and thought-provoking, this book is required reading for anyone writing about family law, urging us all to ask whether our work truly represents the diversity of voices within society.’ Sharon Thompson, Cardiff University ‘This remarkable book leads us through the complexity of the Diverse Voices to be heard in Family Law concerning marriage and divorce law and parenting. On each topic we are given the facts, and then enabled to move forward by considering the questions arising: our family law system originating in traditional Christian values urgently needs to listen and learn!’ Mavis Maclean CBE, St Hilda’s College

Author Information

Rajnaara C. Akhtar is Associate Professor of Family Law at the University of Warwick, teaching family law and child law. She has conducted extensive empirical research on family law and family justice in England and Wales, and multiple international legal contexts.

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