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Join a leading centre for socio-legal research. We offer rigorous graduate programmes, close academic supervision, and a vibrant intellectual community.

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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.

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Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies Blog

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Unstructured and Narrative Interviews

In this week's Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to ethnographer and essayist Dr Kate Rossmanith about unstructured and narrative interviewing. Drawing on her work with people entangled in the criminal justice system, Kate explains why she never asks, “What happened?” and shares the single question she prepares for her interviews. Listen to the full episode, 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.

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An attempt to build trust when I was not fully local
The space between us

Niharika Salar reflects on building trust while researching the impact of legal frameworks on artisans in India. Read the full article, which is published as part of the blog's Methodological Musings section. 

Read the full blog post
poorvavasujit.jpg
The Other Side of ‘Development’

Poorva Sharma and Vasujit Dubey analyse the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, arguing that it risks reproducing the Global South's long-standing exclusions from international environmental law. Read the full article, which is published as part of the blog's Borderlands section. 

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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.

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News

Professor Linda Mulcahy Appointed International Adviser to New Socio-Legal Research Lab in Chile

04 June 2026
Linda Mulcahy
Professor of Socio-Legal Studies

CSLS Alumna Dr Shruti Iyer Wins Law and Society Association Dissertation Prize

20 May 2026
Shruti Iyer
DPhil Socio-Legal Studies
Linda Mulcahy
Professor of Socio-Legal Studies

Recording Available: Socio-Legal Annual Lecture 2026

14 May 2026
Fernanda Pirie
Professor of the Anthropology of Law

Upcoming Events

08

June

2026

Courts Under Stress

Event time

16:00 - 17:15

Venue

Online

Speaker(s)

Goodwin Liu, Kate O’Regan, Robert Sharpe, Joshua Rozenberg (moderator)

09

June

2026

Decentralised Justice: Law in the Digital Age of Crowds and Code

Event time

14:00 - 18:00

Venue

Arco Roy Griffiths Room, Keble College, Oxford

Speaker(s)

Nicole Stremlau, Florian Grisel, Fernanda Pirie; Federico Ast, William George, Rob Dean

11

June

2026

The Socio-Legal Dynamics of Financial Markets

Event time

09:30 - 12:30

Venue

The Levett Room, Wolfson College Oxford

Speaker(s)

Linda Mulcahy, Francesca Barp, Matthew Nesvet, Fernanda Pirie, Kebene Wodajo; Dr Garima Jaju

People

Ayesha Pattnaik

DPhil Socio-Legal Studies

Stephen Knight

DPhil Socio-Legal Studies (Part-time)

Harshita Pandey

DPhil Socio-Legal Studies (Part time)

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