New Books Network

About Jane Richards

I run, write, parent and protest, not always in that order.

Jane Richards is a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong. You can find her on twitter where she follows all things related to human rights and Hong Kong politics @JaneRichardsHK

NBN Episodes hosted by Jane:

Law July 28, 2021

Myanmar's Enemy Within

Buddhist Violence and the Making of a Muslim 'Other'

Francis Wade

Hosted by Jane Richards
In 2017, Myanmar's military launched a campaign of widespread targeted violence against its Rohingya minority. The horrific atrocities was later described by United Nations experts as genocide. This had been building …
Law July 1, 2021

Women, Intimate Partner Violence, and the Law

Heather Douglas

Hosted by Jane Richards
Every year, millions of women turn to law to help them escape intimate partner violence. The legal processes are complex and varied, often enmeshing women for many years. In Intimate Partner …
Law June 10, 2021

Overcoming Challenges in the Mental Capacity Act 2005

Practical Guidance for Working with Complex Issues

Camillia Kong and Alex Ruck Keene

Hosted by Jane Richards
Overcoming Challenges in the Mental Capacity Act 2005: Practical Guidance for Working with Complex Issues (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019) both delivers on what promises and more: it gives practical and ethical guidance for …
Law June 9, 2021

Men in White Coats

Treatment Under Coercion

George Szmukler

Hosted by Jane Richards
The laws that govern psychiatric treatment under coercion have remain largely unchanged since the eighteenth century. But this is not because of their effectiveness, rather, these laws cling to outdated …
Law May 12, 2021

The Un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Practice

A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Courts

Lisa Waddington and Anna Lawson

Hosted by Jane Richards
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Practice: A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Courts (Oxford UP, 2018) brings together an extraordinary collection of data and analysis which concerns …
Law April 1, 2021

The Art of Political Control in China

Daniel C. Mattingly

Hosted by Jane Richards
The Art of Political Control in China (Cambridge University Press, 2019) shows how China's authoritarian state ensures political control by non-violent mechanisms. Daniel C. Mattingly demonstrates how coercive control is achieved through …
Law March 24, 2021

The War on the Uyghurs

China's Internal Campaign Against a Muslim Minority

Sean R. Roberts

Hosted by Jane Richards
There are currently eleven million Uyghurs living in China, but more than one million are being held in so-called reeducation camps. A cultural genocide is taking place under the guise of …
Law March 11, 2021

Law and the Relational Self

Jonathan Herring

Hosted by Jane Richards
The concept of the individual self - a being that is autonomous, rational and largely without vulnerability - shapes current legal frameworks, the power dynamics between individuals, and limits the …
Law February 8, 2021

Asia's New Geopolitics

Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific

Michael R. Auslin

Hosted by Jane Richards
Is the Indo-Pacific already the most dominant in terms of global power, politics, and wealth? In his newest book, Michael R. Auslin considers the key issues facing the Indo-Pacific which have ramifications …
Law January 4, 2021

The Battle to Stay in America

Immigration's Hidden Front Line

Michael Kagan

Hosted by Jane Richards
The debate over American immigration policy has obsessed politicians and disrupted the lives of millions of people for decades. In The Battle To Stay in America: Immigration's Hidden Front Line (University of Nevada …
Law December 16, 2020

Weapon of Choice

Fighting Gun Violence While Respecting Gun Rights

Ian Ayres and Fredrick E. Vars

Hosted by Jane Richards
In the United States, gun violence is in a state of national crisis, yet efforts to reform gun regulation face significant political and constitutional barriers. In this innovative book, Ian …
Law November 25, 2020

From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage

How Australia Got Compulsory Voting

Judith Brett

Hosted by Jane Richards
In this fascinating history of Australia’s electoral system, Judith Brett makes a timely case in favour of compulsory voting. Her analysis is entertaining and enlightening, and makes a significant contribution …
Law November 19, 2020

Making Hong Kong China

The Rollback of Human Rights and the Rule of Law

Michael Davis

Hosted by Jane Richards
“Imagine you live in a freewheeling city like New York or London – one of the world’s leading financial, educational, and cultural centres. Then imagine that one of the …
Law November 12, 2020

Making the Modern Criminal Law

Criminalization and Civil Order

Lindsay Farmer

Hosted by Jane Richards
In his latest book, Professor Lindsay Farmer offers a historical and conceptual analysis of theories of criminalization. The book shows how criminalization is inextricably linked to the making of the …
Asian American Studies October 30, 2020

In Camps

Vietnamese Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Repatriates

Jana K. Lipman

Hosted by Jane Richards
In Camps: Vietnamese Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Repatriates (University of California Press, 2020) is an in-depth study of the fate of the nearly 800,000 Vietnamese refugees who left their country …
Chinese Studies October 15, 2020

China’s National Security

Endangering Hong Kong’s Rule of Law?

Cora Chan and Fiona de Londras

Hosted by Jane Richards
On July 1, 2020, China introduced a National Security Law into Hong Kong partly in an attempt to quell months of civil unrest, as a mechanism to safeguard China’s security …
Law September 30, 2020

Policing the Womb

Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood

Michele Goodwin

Hosted by Jane Richards
Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood (Cambridge University Press, 2020) a brilliant but shocking account of the criminalization of all aspects of reproduction, pregnancy, abortion, birth …
Critical Theory September 16, 2020

The Hidden Face of Rights

Toward a Politics of Responsibilities

Kathryn Sikkink

Hosted by Jane Richards
In her latest book, The Hidden Face of Rights: Toward a Politics of Responsibilities (Yale University Press), Kathryn Sikkink puts forward a framework of rights and responsibilities; moving beyond the …
Chinese Studies July 17, 2020

The Struggle for Democracy in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong

Sharp Power and its Discontents

Andreas Fulda

Hosted by Jane Richards
The key question in The Struggle for Democracy in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong: Sharp Power and its Discontents (Routledge, 2020), is to what extent political activists in these …
Law July 15, 2020

The Ouija Board Jurors

Mystery, Mischief and Misery in the Jury System

Jeremy Gans

Hosted by Jane Richards
Juries are a cornerstone of the criminal trial, but what happens when the jury engages in its own kind of mischief? In this book, Jeremy Gans delves into the case …
Law June 26, 2020

People’s Tribunals, Human Rights and the Law

Regina M. Paulose

Hosted by Jane Richards
People’s Tribunals, Human Rights and the Law (Routledge, 2020) gives a vital introduction to an essential but overlooked topic; the rise of People’s Tribunals, their role in truth and justice …
Intellectual History June 3, 2020

Self, Others and the State

Relations of Criminal Responsibility

Arlie Loughnan

Hosted by Jane Richards
Criminal responsibility is a key-organizing concept of the criminal law, but Arlie Loughnan argues that it needs re-examination. Focusing on the Australian experience, Self, Others and the State: Relations of …
East Asian Studies May 7, 2020

City on Fire

The Fight for Hong Kong

Antony Dapiran

Hosted by Jane Richards
Hong Kong in 2019 was a city on fire. Anti-government protests, sparked by an ill-fated extradition bill sparked seven months of protest and civil unrest. Protestors clashed with police in …
Intellectual History April 20, 2020

In Search of Criminal Responsibility

Ideas, Interests, and Institutions

Nicola Lacey

Hosted by Jane Richards
In her latest book, In Search of Criminal Responsibility: Ideas, Interests, and Institutions (Oxford University Press, 2016), Nicola Lacey brings together philosophical, historical and socio-legal methods to give an account …