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University of Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Borderlands

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
A colourful, abstract image of a sound wave

Audio-visibility and the Law

In this Borderlands piece, Nomi Dave (Virginia) explores the topic of audio-visibility, examining the significance and meanings of that which may be heard and seen in law.

by Nomi Dave | 4 September 2024
A graffiti-covered wall reads 'Car Wash' in large red letters

Capturing the Political Character of an Anticorruption Initiative Through Relational Legal Consciousness Research

In this special Borderlands post, our first published in a language other than English, Professor Fabio de Sa e Silva (Oklahoma) reflects upon relational legal consciousness in Brazil's lava jato case

by Fabio de Sa e Silva | 10 July 2024
Uma parede coberta de graffiti diz 'Car Wash' em grandes letras vermelhas

Capturando o Caráter Político de uma Iniciativa Anticorrupção Através de Pesquisa nos Marcos da Consciência Jurídica Relacional

Nesta publicação especial de Borderlands, a primeira publicada em um idioma diferente do inglês, Fabio de Sá e Silva reflete sobre a consciência jurídica relacional no caso da lava jato no Brasil.

by Fabio de Sa e Silva | 10 July 2024
At an LGBTQ march, a banner reads 'Equality Without Exceptions'

Queer Legal Praxis

In this Borderlands piece, Chris Ashford introduces the concept of ‘queer legal praxis’, drawing on performance studies and the ways that queerness ‘is done’ to explore how law understands queerness.

by Chris Ashford | 28 June 2024
Brightly coloured strips of light criss-cross the screen

Courtrooms, Cafeterias, and Clothes: Contempt and Obedience Procedure of the Court

In this Borderlands piece, Dr Rahela Khorakiwala considers the judicial (mis)uses of contempt in the control of courtroom spaces.

by Rahela Khorakiwala | 12 June 2024
A small sailboat floats somewhere between sea and the night sky

Weird Law for Weird Times?

In this piece for Borderlands, Dr Joseph Patrick McAulay explores the concept of the Weird and encourages us to consider how it may help us make sense of our Weird times.

by Joseph Patrick McAulay | 15 May 2024