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Biography
Roxana is the Principal Investigator of the Cameroon Conflict Research Group, a Postdoctoral Fellow of the British Academy, a Junior Research Fellow in Law, and a Lecturer in Criminal Law. She holds an LLB in Law with European Legal Studies, an LLM in International Economic Law, and a DPhil in Law.
Roxana’s research investigates the legal system through the prism of structural inequality. For the doctorate, she conducted an ‘ethnography at home’ and examined how one of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in England informally handled conflict before escalating it to the police. Roxana is in the final stages of reworking the doctoral thesis for publication – ‘A Precarious Life: Understanding class, race, and conflict in a deindustrialised town’ (contracted with Oxford University Press, Clarendon Series). She is presently building on these findings by examining how class and race affect children’s experiences of welfare and punishment in school.
In response to local requests, Roxana recently established a research group to investigate the Cameroon conflict. To date, she has set up several research fellowships and led on the production of two research reports. The first report documents human rights abuses committed before as well as during the conflict, and offers a socio-historical analysis of the tensions. The second report is an empirical piece of research, which draws on the experiences of 32 civilians trapped in the conflicted regions and details the involvement of international actors. Roxana will collaborate with colleagues in Cameroon to develop this pilot research into a longer-term project to support peace-seeking efforts.
Roxana’s research in Cameroon stems from working as a human rights advocate for two years in the North West Region. During a Voluntary Services Overseas post, Roxana co-founded a pro bono law chambers and secured funding from Allen and Overy. The chambers is internationally recognised and handles cases in all areas of law, including United Nations human rights petitions and decisions from the African Commission.
Publications
Recent additions
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R Willis, A Precarious Life: Understanding Class, Race, and Conflict in a Deindustralised Town (OUP 2021) (forthcoming) -
R Willis, Critical Perspectives on Capacity & Insanity: A Lecture Transcript, paper presented at SSRN Working draft of a lecture transcript on capacity and insanity. The lecture is split into two parts. The first lecture looks at capacity and how children under the age of ten lack criminal responsibility. The second lecture examines insanity. Before examining the substantive law, the paper introduces some background theoretical concepts to aid thinking about capacity and insanity and the criminal law and legal system more broadly.R Willis, James Angove, Caroline Mbinkar and Joseph McAulay, ''We Remain Their Slaves': Voices from the Cameroon Conflict' (2020) SSRN Violence has torn through the anglophone regions of Cameroon since 2016. Despite the severity of the conflict, international response has been conspicuously limited. This report offers new insights into the Cameroon conflict and suggests a strategy for action. Findings stem from an empirical piece of research conducted by the Cameroon Conflict Research Group, based in the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. The Group interviewed 32 individuals in the anglophone regions of Cameroon, from a range of backgrounds, to learn more about the causes and experiences of the conflict. The report is directly shaped by these collective voices and embraces a socio-historical framework which stemmed from the research participants themselves – that of slavery. Resulting from this study, the report shows that a root cause of the conflict is socioeconomic inequality, for which multiple international actors, as well as the Cameroon government, are responsible. Accordingly, the Group offers five recommendations for action. Ultimately, the Group advises that peaceful resolution requires multilateral efforts from all responsible parties, some of whom are named within.All publications
Book (1)
Internet Publication (3)
Presentation/Conference contribution (1)
Report (1)
Review (1)
Journal Article (6)
Chapter (1)
Centres
Research projects
Research Interests
Social class, race, inequality, conflict, restorative justice, criminal law, land law
Options taught
Criminal Law (Mods)News articles for Roxana Willis

Announcing our new AfOx Visiting Fellow in Law, Dr Emile Sunjo

International Players' Duty to Search for Peace in Cameroon

Roxana Willis awarded grant to investigate the anglophone crisis in Cameroon

Roxana Willis awarded funds to document human rights abuses in the Cameroon

Roxana Willis awarded a knowledge exchange seed fund grant

Roxana Willis takes part in the Oxford Science and Ideas (IF) festival

Faculty launches new blog in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy
Blog posts by Roxana Willis

Black Lives Matter – Our complicity in state violence in Cameroon
By James Angove | Caroline Mbinkar | Joseph Patrick McAulay | Roxana Willis
Cameroon Conflict Research Group
Why international players have a duty to help the search for peace in Cameroon
By James Angove | Roxana Willis
Cameroon Conflict Research Group
Black Lives Matter – Our complicity in state violence in Cameroon
By James Angove | Caroline Mbinkar | Joseph Patrick McAulay | Roxana Willis
Centre for Criminology
Is restorative justice middle-class justice?
By Roxana Willis
Centre for Criminology
Why was unsafe cladding used on the Blackbird Leys towers?
By Roxana Willis
Housing After Grenfell
Why are tower block refurbishment projects implemented and whom do they benefit?
By Roxana Willis
Housing After Grenfell
Opening the year with “Intersectional Conversations”
By Roxana Willis
Centre for Criminology
Brexit Blog Series: My Hometown Voted Leave. We’re not Stupid or Racist.
By Roxana Willis
Centre for Criminology