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University of Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Borderlands

Sunset in West Bengal, a small boat passes under a vast bridge.

Punishment or Liberation? Rethinking Feminism’s Paradox in the Aparajita Bill

In this post for Borderlands, Ananya Bhargava reflects upon West Bengal's Aparajita Bill as an expression of governance and carceral feminism.

by Ananya Bhargava | 28 May 2025
An abstract image shows bright colourful lines connecting together

Shifting Dynamics in Medical Law: Invitation to join a network and mailing list

In this Borderlands post, Bev Clough and Anna Nelson introduce a new research network which seeks to explore novel dynamics in - and approaches to - medical law.

by Bev Clough & Anna Nelson | 30 April 2025
A sticker reads 'Every Human Has Rights'.

EU ‘Return Hubs’ in Third Countries: Fundamental Rights Risks and Monitoring

In this post for Borderlands, Antonella Patteri (Warsaw) considers the pressing issue of 'Return Hubs' and their implication both for migrants and for EU Law.

by Antonella Patteri | 2 April 2025
Bright, colourful buildings rise up in Warsaw's Old Town, Poland.

Are Reproductive Rights and the Rule of Law Inextricably Linked? Experiences from Poland

In this special Borderlands post to mark IWD 2025, Anna Ratecka (Södertörn) and Agnieszka Kubal (CSLS, Oxford) reflect upon the connection of reproductive rights and the Rule of Law.

by Anna Ratecka & Agnieszka Kubal | 7 March 2025
A road runs through rural scenery in Benue, Nigeria.

Rethinking Women’s Economic Empowerment in Displacement: Gender, Land Rights, and Resilience

In this post for Borderlands, Victor Onyilor Achem reflects upon gendered land rights in the context of conflict and displacement.

by Victor Onyilor Achem | 5 March 2025
A despondent man scrolls on his mobile phone.

Attentional Rhythms and the Safer Phones Bill

In this Borderlands piece, Conor Heaney (Kent) considers the Safer Phones Bill through the frame of rhythmanalysis.

by Conor Heaney | 22 January 2025
A roadsign reads You Are Now Entering Zimbabwe

Lawmaking as a ‘box-ticking exercise’: A Socio-Legal approach to the making of Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act 5 of 2021

In this Borderlands post, Ellison Shumba (Johannesburg) reflects on the politics and performance of law-making in Zimbabwe.

by Ellison Shumba | 8 January 2025
A photograph shows a rusted padlock - ethced with a heart - attached to a fence.

Traces of the Past: Mental Capacity Law, Disability, and Sexuality

In this special Borderlands piece, marking Disability History Month, Bev Clough and Ruby Reed-Berendt explore developments in disability law and consent while noting the lasting traces of the past.

by Bev Clough & Ruby Reed-Berendt | 13 December 2024
A worker using an angle grinder makes sparks

Law and Political Economy at the SLSA

In this Borderlands post, Jack Meakin (Leeds) and Manoj Dias-Abey (Bristol) examine the past and future of Law and Political Economy (LPE) scholarship in Socio-Legal Studies.

by Jack Meakin & Manoj Dias-Abey | 4 December 2024
A photograph shows the The Mardoowarra (Martuwarra or Fitzroy River) in Western Australia

Prefigurative Legality and Relational Ontologies: Learning from Environmental Justice Struggles in Australia

In this Borderlands piece, Cristy Clark and Beth Goldblatt examine two Indigenous environmental justice movements alongside concepts of 'prefigurative legality' and 'legal ontological work.'

by Cristy Clark & Beth Goldblatt | 27 November 2024
A dark, rainy night in Tokyo, Japan.

From Confession to Conviction: Why Japan’s Criminal Justice System Resists Change

In this Borderlands post, Professor Dimitri Vanoverbeke (Tokyo) reflects upon the case of Iwao Hakamada to explore why and how change does - and does not - take place in the Japanese legal system.

by Dimitri Vanoverbeke | 30 October 2024
Colourful buildings rise in the Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) cityscape

Legal Syncretism: A New Frontier of Constitutional Studies

In this post for Borderlands, Dr Berihun Adugna Gebeye (UCL) argues for legal syncretism as a vehicle to approach and appreciate African constitutionalism.

by Berihun Adugna Gebeye | 2 October 2024