Religion, culture and dispute resolution

Editorial. This special edition of the Australian Journal of Family Law publishes some of the papers first presented at a symposium held at Western Sydney University in 2015 considering issues raised by culture and religion in the context of dispute resolution.1 The symposium sought to contribute to broader international and Australian debates about appropriate socio-political and legal responses to the practices and needs of people from non-dominant cultural and religious communities in the context of the resolution of their disputes. Internationally there has been much discussion about the public recognition or legal accommodation of the demands and needs of minority groups, particularly as they seek to resolve some of the difficult issues that follow the breakdown of intimate relationships. It is not surprising that the focus of much of this discussion has centred on norms, practices and laws that govern family disputes, as these often define and embody the shared identity of minority cultural and religious communities.