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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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Using Participatory Action Research in a Study of Gang Violence in Bermuda 

In this week's Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies, Frankco Harris reflects on the use of participatory action research-informed methods in his doctoral study of gang violence in Bermuda. Read the full article, which is published as part of the blog's Methodological Musings section. 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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The State and the Socio-Legal Development in Chile

Researchers from the Laboratorio de Estudios Socio-Legales (Socio-Legal Studies Laboratory, Lab ESL) explore the field's emergence and evolution in Chile. This article marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership between Frontiers and the newly launched lab at the Universidad de O’Higgins in Chile. 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.

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The Social Life of Constitutions

Professor Lawrence Rosen (Princeton University) reviews Melissa Crouch’s book, The Palimpsest Constitution: The Social Life of Constitutions in Myanmar (Oxford University Press, 2025). Read the full article, 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.

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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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Notes from the Field

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

25

June

2026

Penal Populism and the Death Penalty in India: Politics, Punishment, and Marginalisation

Event time

10:30 - 12:00

Venue

Manor Road Building - Seminar Room F

Speaker(s)

Sanjay Vashishtha, Emma Obadia-Humphris, Anneke Petzsche, Caitlyn McGeer

29

June

2026

Law’s Judgment, Racism’s Shadow: Reckoning with Ethnic Profiling at the Border

Event time

16:00 - 17:30

Venue

Manor Road Building - Seminar Room G

Speaker(s)

Maartje van der Woude, Professor of Law and Society, Leiden University

01

July

2026

Academic Careers Beyond the DPhil: Funding, Publishing, and International Opportunities

Event time

09:00 - 11:00

Venue

Manor Road Building - Seminar Room C

Speaker(s)

Agnieszka Kubal, Fernanda Pirie; Adriaan Bedner

People

James Campbell

DPhil Socio-Legal Studies (Part-time)

Stephen Knight

DPhil Socio-Legal Studies (Part-time)

Christopher Hodges

Emeritus Professor of Justice Systems

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  • CSLS Blog: Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies
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