Publications

Books

• (2025) The Palimpsest Constitution: The Social Life of Constitutions in Myanmar (Oxford University Press)
• (2019) The Constitution of Myanmar: A Contextual Analysis. Bloomsbury/Hart Publishing. [Burmese translation available 2021: ၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေအား သုံးသပ်လေ့လာခြင်း]
• (2014) Law and Religion in Indonesia: Conflict and the Courts in West Java. Routledge

Edited Books

• (2023) Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia. Oxford University Press.
• (2021) Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific. Cambridge University Press
• (2019) The Politics of Court Reform: Judicial Change and Legal Culture in Indonesia. Cambridge University Press
• (2017) The Business of Transition: Law, Economics and Development in Myanmar. Cambridge University Press
• (2016) Islam and the State in Myanmar: Muslim-Buddhist Relations and the Politics of Belonging. Oxford University Press
• (2014) Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar. Hart Publishing (with Tim Lindsey)

Journal Articles

• (2026) ‘The Case for Comparative Law and Society in Legal Education: Asian Legal Studies in Australian Law Schools‘ Asian Journal of Comparative Law 1-24
• (2025) ‘Constitutional coup-proofing’ World Comparative Law/VRU 58(4) 574-602 (with Christoph Sperfeldt)
• (2024) ‘What Counts as Constitutionalism in the Global South? An Anthropological Perspective on Comparative Constitutional Law’ 2(3) Comparative Constitutional Studies 1-16
• (2024) ‘The Military Turn in Comparative Constitutional Law: The Constitution and the Military in Authoritarian Regimes’ 20 Annual Review of Law & Social Science 53-69
• (2024) ‘The Rise and Decline of Constitutionalism in the Global South: The Case of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court‘ 57 World Comparative Law/VRU 147-158
• (2022) ‘Judicial Loyalty to the Military in Authoritarian Regimes: How the Courts are Militarized in Myanmar‘ Law & Social Inquiry 1-28
• (2021), ‘The challenges for court reform after authoritarian rule: The role of specialized courts in Indonesia’, Constitutional Review, vol. 7, pp. 1 – 25
• (2021) ‘States of Legal Denial: How the State in Myanmar uses Law to Exclude the Rohingya‘ 51(1) Journal of Contemporary Asia 87-111. (published online 2019)
• (2020) ‘Constitutional Touchstones: Peace Processes, Federalism and Constitution-Making in Myanmar‘ 18(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law 1350-72
• (2020) ‘Peace Processes and Constitution-Making: Introduction to Special Issue‘ 18(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law
• (2020) ‘Pre-emptive Constitution-making: Authoritarian Constitutionalism and the Military in Myanmar‘ 54(2) Law & Society Review 487.
• (2019) ‘Constitutionalism After Authoritarian Rule‘ Hague Journal on the Rule of Law 11 (2), 349-353
• (2018) ‘The Prerogative Writs as Constitutional Transfer’ 38(4) Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 653-675
• (2018) ‘Democrats, Dictators and Constitutional Dialogue: Myanmar’s Constitutional Tribunal’ 16(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 421-446
• (2018) ‘Constitutionalism, Religion and Inequality: Perspectives from Asia‘ 13(2) Asian Journal of Comparative Law 1-11
• (2017) ‘The Expansion of Emergency Powers: Social Conflict and the Military in Indonesia‘, 41(3) Asian Studies Review 459-475
• (2017) ‘Myanmar’s Advocate for Constitutional Reform: Saya U Ko Ni’ 14(2) Australian Journal of Asian Law 1-12
• (2016) ‘Constitutionalism, Islam and the Practise of Religious Deference: The Case of the Indonesian Constitutional Court’ 16(2) Australian Journal of Asian Law 1-15
• (2016) ‘Promiscuity, Polygyny and the Power of Revenge: The Past and Future of Burmese Buddhist Law in Myanmar‘ 3(1) Asian Journal of Law & Society [special ed: Buddhism & Law in Asia]
• (2015) ‘Constructing Religion by Law in Myanmar‘ 13(4) (Winter, Dec) Review of Faith and International Affairs. [Burmese translation here]
• (2014) ‘Rediscovering ‘Law’ in Myanmar: A Review of Scholarship on the Legal System of Myanmar’ 23(3) Pacific Rim Law and Policy Review 543-575
• (2014) ‘Socio-legal Scholarship on Southeast Asia: Themes and Directions’, Asian Journal of Comparative Law [special issue] 1-4 (with L Chua)
• (2013) ‘Cause Lawyers in Indonesia: A House Divided’ 31(3) Wisconsin International Law Journal (Special Edition: Cause Lawyers in Asia) 620-645 (with T LIndsey)
• (2013) ‘The Criminalisation of People Smuggling: The Dynamics of Judicial Discretion in Indonesia’ 14(2) Australian Journal of Asian Law 1-19 (with A Missbach)
• (2013) ‘Asian Legal Transplants and Rule of Law Reform: The National Human Rights Commission in Myanmar and Indonesia‘ 5(2) Hague Journal on the Rule of Law (Special Ed: The Rule of Law in East Asia) 146-177.
• (2013) ‘‘Shifting Conceptions of State and Religion: The Indonesian Draft Law on Inter-religious Harmony’ 25(2) Global Change, Peace & Security [Special Ed: State, Society & Religion in the Asia-Pacific] 265-283
• (2012) ‘Judicial review and religious freedom: The case of Indonesian Ahmadis‘ 34(3) Sydney Law Review 545-572
• (2012) ‘Law and Religion in Indonesia: The Constitutional Court and the Blasphemy Law‘ 7(1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law 1-46
• (2012) ‘Criminal (in)justice in Indonesia: The Cikeusik Trials’ 37(1) Alternative Law Journal 54
• (2011) ‘Cause Lawyering, the Legal Profession and the Courts in Indonesia: The Bar Association Controversy’ LawASIA Journal 63-86.
• (2011) ‘Ahmadiyah in Indonesia: A History of Religious Tolerance Under Threat?’ 36(1) Alternative Law Journal 56-57.
• (2010) ‘Implementing the Regulation on Places of Worship in Indonesia: New Problems, Local Politics and Court Action’ 34 (Dec) Asian Studies Review 403-419.
• (2009) ‘Stretching the Scope of Special Autonomy in Aceh: The Controversial Qanun Requirement for Political Candidates’ [Case Note, Translation] 11(1) Australian Journal of Asian Law 135-158.
• (2009) ‘Religious Regulations in Indonesia: Failing Vulnerable Groups?’ Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, 43(2) 53-103.
• (2007) ‘Regulation on Places of Worship in Indonesia: Upholding the Right to Freedom of Religion for Religious Minorities?’ Singapore Journal of Legal Studies 96-116
• (2007) ‘The Yogyakarta Local Ombudsman: Promoting Good Governance through Local Support’ 2(1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law 219-246.

Book Chapters

• (forthcoming 2027) ‘Facade Constitutions: The View from Myanmar‘ in M Tushnet et al (eds) Handbook on Law and Authoritarianism. Oxford University Press.
• (forthcoming 2027) ‘The Military and the Separation of Powers‘ in E Delaney et al (eds) Handbook on the Separation of Powers. Cambridge University Press.
• (2026) ‘‘The Case for Comparative Law and Society in Legal Education: Asian Legal Studies in Australian Law Schools’, in Bryant Garth and Swethaa Ballakrishnan (eds), Handbook on Global Legal Education. Edward Elgar. [extract of longer article in Asian Journal of Comparative Law 2025]
• (2024) ‘The Constitution of Myanmar’, in David Law et al (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Asia. Oxford University Press.
• (2023) ‘The Limits of Transformative Authoritarian Constitutionalism: The Case of Indonesia‘ in M Crouch (eds) Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia. Oxford University Press.
• (2022) ‘Myanmar’ in Richard Albert et al (eds) Global Review of Constitutional Law. I•CONnect and the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, Boston College, USA.
• (2021) ‘Women and the Judiciary in Indonesia‘ in M Crouch (ed) Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific. Cambridge University Press. pp 149-177.
• (2021) ‘The Feminisation of the Judiciary in the Global South‘ in M Crouch (ed) Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific. Cambridge University Press. pp1-28 (with N Naidu)
• (2020) ‘Vehicle for Democratic Transition or Authoritarian Straightjacket? Constitutional Regression and Risks in the Struggle to Change Myanmar’s Constitution’ in Tom Ginsburg and Aziz Huq (eds) From Parchment to Practise: Implementing New Constitutions. Cambridge University Press. pp263-280.
• (2020) ‘Myanmar: Law as a Dangerous and Lucrative Profession‘, in Richard Abel et al (eds) Lawyers in 21st Century Societies. 2nd ed (2 vol) UK: Hart Publishing. pp 775-788.
• (2019) ‘Constitution-making and Public Participation in Southeast Asia’, in David Landau and Hannah Lerner (eds) Constitution-making. Edward Elgar. pp 488-509.
• (2019) ‘The Judicial Reform Landscape in Indonesia: Innovation, Specialisation and the Legacy of Dan S Lev’ in M Crouch (ed) The Politics of Court Reform: Judicial Change and Legal Culture in Indonesia. Cambridge University Press. pp 1-32.
• (2018) ‘The Judiciary in Myanmar’ in Nicholas Farrelly, Ian Holliday and Adam Simpson (eds) Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Myanmar. New York: Routledge. pp 248-256. 
• (2018) ‘Administrative Law and Religion’, in T Lindsey & H Pausacker (ed) Religion Law and Intolerance in Indonesia. London, Routledge. pp 234-255.
• (2017) Understanding the Business of Transition‘ in M Crouch (ed) The Business of Transition: Law Reform, Economics and Development in Myanmar. Cambridge University Press.
• (2017) ‘The Everyday Emergency: Between the Constitution and the Criminal Code in Myanmar’ in A Harding (ed) Constitutionalism and Legal Change in Myanmar. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
• (2017) ‘Judicial Power in Myanmar and the Challenge of Judicial Independence‘ in HP Lee (ed) Asia-Pacific Judiciaries: Impartiality, Integrity, Independence. Cambridge University Press.
• (2017) ‘Negotiating Legal Pluralism in Court: Fatwa and the Crime of Blasphemy in Indonesia’, in Gary Bell and Michael Dowdle (eds) Pluralism, Transnationalism and Culture in Asian Law: A Book in Honour of MB Hooker. Singapore: ISEAS.
• (2016) ‘Between Endurance and Change in Southeast Asia: The Military and Constitutional Reform in Myanmar and Thailand’, in Annual Review of Constitution Building. Stockholm, Sweden: International IDEA (with T Ginsburg)
• (2016) ‘Legislating Reform? Law and Conflict in Myanmar‘ in Nick Cheesman and Nicholas Farrelly (eds) Conflict in Myanmar: War, Politics, Religion. Singapore: ISEAS.
• (2016) ‘Islamic Law and Society in Southeast Asia’, in Anver M Emon and Rumee Ahmed (eds) The Oxford Handbook on Islamic Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• (2016) ‘Personal Law and Colonial Legacy: State-Religion Relations and the Practise of Islamic Law in Myanmar’, in M Crouch (ed) Islam and the State in Myanmar: Muslim-Buddhist Relations and the Politics of Belonging. Oxford University Press.
• (2016) ‘Myanmar’s Muslim Mosaic and the Politics of Belonging’, in M Crouch (ed) Islam and the State in Myanmar: Muslim-Buddhist Relations and the Politics of Belonging. Oxford University Press.
• (2016) ‘Rethinking Islam-State Relations: The Perspective from Myanmar‘ in Melissa Crouch (ed) Islam and the State in Myanmar: Muslim-Buddhist Relations and the Politics of Belonging. Oxford University Press.
• (2015) ‘Ethnic Rights and Constitutional Change: The Constitutional Recognition of Ethnic Nationalities in Myanmar’ in Andrew Harding and Mark Sidel (ed) Central-local Relations in Asian Constitutional Systems. Hart Publishing. 
• (2014) ‘The Common Law and the Constitutional Writs in Myanmar’, in Melissa Crouch and Tim Lindsey (eds) Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar. Hart Publishing. [Burmese translation available here]
• (2014) ‘The Layers of Legal Development in Myanmar’, in Melissa Crouch and Tim Lindsey (eds) Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar. Hart Publishing.
• (2014) ‘Introduction‘, in Melissa Crouch and Tim Lindsey (eds) Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar. Hart Publishing.
• (2014) ‘A Short Research Guide to Myanmar Law’, in Melissa Crouch and Tim Lindsey (eds) Law, Society and Transition in Myanmar. Hart Publishing (with N Cheesman)
• (2013) ‘Proselytisation, Religious Diversity & the State in Indonesia’ in M Feener & J Finucane (eds) Proselytising and the Limits of Religious Pluralism in Contemporary Asia. Springer Asia Series. pp. 17-40.
• (2008) ‘Indonesia’s National and Local Ombudsman Reforms: Salvaging a Failed Experiment?’ in Tim Lindsey (ed) Indonesia: Law and Society (2nd ed). The Federation Press. pp.382-406.

Short contributions

• (forthcoming 2027) ‘Sociolegal Studies in Southeast Asia’, (eds) Elgar Encyclopedia of Sociology of Law. Edward Elgar
• (forthcoming 2027) ‘Judicial Pluralism in Indonesia’ in Håkan Hydén and Ulrike Schultz (eds) Elgar Encyclopedia of Sociology of Law. Edward Elgar
• (2026) ‘How people in Myanmar resist authoritarianism through alternative constitution-making ‘ Melbourne Asia Review.
• (2026) Interview by Amy Cohen with Melissa Crouch on her book, The Palimpsest Constitution, Communication, Media and Performance (CAMP) Anthropology blog, 25 May
• (2026) ‘Resisting militarism through constitution-making: The fight for civilian rule in Burma/Myanmar’, Political and Legal Anthropology Review (POLAR)
• (2026) ‘Personal Law in Myanmar’ in Sarah Biddulph (eds) Elgar Encyclopedia of Asian Law. Edward Elgar
• (2026) Constitutional Law in Myanmar’ in Sarah Biddulph (eds) Elgar Encyclopedia of Asian Law. Edward Elgar
• (2025) ‘How to Write a PhD proposal (in Law)‘
• (2023) ‘Podgórecki Prize 2022 for sociolegal research: response’ Delivered at the Lund 2023 Research Committee on the Sociology of Law Meeting, first published in RCSL Newsletter 2023 (3) p. 11

Journal Special Editions and Book Symposium

• (forthcoming) Book Symposium: The Palimpsest Constitution, World Comparative Law, with contributions from
• (2026) Book Symposium: The Palimpsest Constitution, IACL-AIDC blog, with contributions from Professor Amy Cohen, Professor Malini Sur, Associate Professor Shohini Sengupta and Suhail Rashid Bhat
• (2025) Special Issue on Intercultural Legal Dialogue, Asian Currents (12 articles) (edited with Natasha Naidu)
• (2024) Special Issue on Celebrating Women’s Contributions to the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA), 6 March, Asian Currents (8 articles) (edited with Natasha Naidu)
• (2024) Book Symposium: Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia, World Comparative Law, with contributions from Dian Shah, Rehan Abeyratne and Maartje de Visser
• (2020) guest editor Melissa Crouch, ‘Peace Processes and Constitution-making’ International Journal of Constitutional Law 
• (2020) Guest editor with Edward Aspinall, ‘The State of Asian Studies in Australia’ blog series (15 articles), with Asian Currents blog (Asian Studies Association of Australia)
• (2016) Guest editor with Simon Butt and Ros Dixon (2016) ‘The First Decade of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court’ 16(2) Australian Journal of Asian Law 1-7. 
• (2014) Guest editor with L Chua, ‘Socio-Legal Research on Southeast Asia: Themes, Directions, and Challenges‘, 9(1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law.

Reports

• (2024) Executive Power in Times of Emergency: Executive Overreach and Underreach in Sri Lanka during COVID-19. International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Sri Lanka (with Natasha Naidu)
• (2023) Concurrent Emergencies in Authoritarian Regimes: Law, Emergency Powers and Military Overreach during COVID-19 in Myanmar. International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Sri Lanka. ISBN 978-624-5502-22-6 (with Salai Samuel Hmung)
• (2023) Australia’s Asia Education Imperative: Trends in the Study of Asia and Pathways for the Future. Canberra, ASAA. (with Edward Aspinall)
• (2019) Legal Reform and Judicial Education: Final Report on Judicial Education in Commercial Law in Myanmar. Asian Development Bank.
• (2018) The Future of Professional Legal Education in Commercial and Corporate Law in Myanmar. Asian Development Bank.
• (2017) Professional Legal Education in Commercial and Corporate Law in Myanmar: An Assessment of the Legal Profession, the Attorney General’s Office and the Courts. Asian Development Bank. pp 1-50.
• (2017) Principles and Processes of Constitutional Making, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Yangon.
• (2016) Report on Constitutional Law in Myanmar: Curriculum Guidelines, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Yangon.
• (2015) Best Practise in Administrative Law: Options for Myanmar. December 2015. commissioned by UNDP Rule of Law Program, Yangon. [translated into Burmese]
• (2014) Access to Justice and Administrative Law in Myanmar. USAID/Tetra Tech DPK, Promoting the Rule of Law Project. 
• (2013) ‘Trials of People Smugglers in Indonesia’ Policy Paper, Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, University of Melbourne [with Antje Missbach].
• Bill Collopy and Melissa Crouch (2011) People of Burma in Melbourne: Perspectives of a Refugee Community. (May) Dandenong: South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre.
• (2009) ‘Indonesia, militant Islam and Ahmadiyah: Origins and implications‘ ARC Federation Fellowship ‘Islam, Shariah and Governance’ Background Paper Series No 4.

Book Reviews

• (2026) ‘Judicial Dysfunction in Indonesia‘ 23(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law 1-6
• (2025) ‘Democratic Consolidation and Constitutional Endurance in Asia and Africa’, 11(2) Constitutional Studies 553-56
• (2024) ‘Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar’, Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia
• (2017) ‘Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law: The Pyrrhic Constitutionalism in Sri Lanka‘, Asian Journal of Law and Society.
• (2016) ‘Shiism in Southeast Asia‘, Journal of American Academy of Religion.
• (2015) ‘Opposing the Rule of Law‘ 37(2) Contemporary Southeast Asia 305.
• (2012) No Concessions: The Life of Yap Thiam Hien, Indonesian Human Rights Lawyer‘, 13(1) Australian Journal of Asian Law.