Welcome to CSLS
For over fifty years the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies has been at the forefront of research into the nature and role of law in society. CSLS researchers study law as a historical and culturally specific mode of social organisation, which takes a variety of forms within and across societies. They bring together a wide variety of disciplinary expertise, including sociology, anthropology, politics, international relations, human rights, economics, geography and art history, to examine the interface of law and society throughout the world.
Explore Our Work
Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies Blog
In this week's Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies, Sana Naeem (Harvard University, Anthropology) sheds light on the punishing temporality of legal processes for women seeking divorce in Peshawar, Pakistan. Read the full article, which is published as part of the blog's Borderlands section. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter.
Freya Cole Norton (Oxford CSLS) reviews Insa Lee Koch’s book, Drugs, Race, and the Politics of Modern Slavery (OUP, 2026). Read the full article here, which is published as part of the blog's A Good Read section. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter here.
Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Dr. Nafay Choudhury (London School of Economics) about embracing ambiguity as a strength of ethnographic work, drawing on his research with money exchangers in Afghanistan. Listen to the full episode here, which is published as part of the blog's Talking About Methods podcast. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter here.
Our graduate students are at the heart of the Centre’s research community. Meet our current DPhil and MPhil students and explore Notes from the Field, where they reflect on fieldwork, methods, and the practice of socio-legal research.
Featured News
Professor Fernanda Pirie reflects on her career, research and the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies
Professor Fernanda Pirie, Director of CSLS, reflects on her career from barrister to legal anthropologist and discusses the Centre’s interdisciplinary approach, her research on Tibetan law, and the importance of studying law in society.
