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University of Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Methodological Musings

Unsplash Image by Nasim Keshmiri

Negotiating Fear and Surveillance: Methodological Challenges of Fieldwork on Law in Iranian Kurdistan

In this Methodological Musings post, Faraz Firouzi Mandomi reflects on his research on Iranian Kurdish practices of divorce and personal status law in Sanandaj.

by Faraz Firouzi Mandomi | 17 December 2025
Unsplash image by Brijender Dua

Filing Right to Information Requests to Collect Key Data from Indian Prisons

In this Methodological Musings post, Shagun Bhargava shares insights from her research project on the socio-legal factors that impact parole decision-making in Delhi, India.

by Shagun Bhargava | 19 November 2025
Image by Merrit Thomas on Unsplash

Chasing Billboards: Reflections on Building a Methodology or Finding One Along the Way

In this Methodological Musings post, Cherisse Francis writes about finding a methodology that honours the indigenous methods of conducting research.

by Cherisse Francis | 22 October 2025
Old computer monitors. Unsplash image by Kimberly Nguyen

How far would you go to obtain your empirical data?

In this Methodological Musings post, Alexandra Molitorisová shares reflections on litigating for access to empirical data for her research.

by Alexandra Molitorisová | 24 September 2025
Unsplash image by Scott Graham

From Struggle to Strategy: Teaching PhD Researchers Legal Writing and Methods

In this Methodological Musings posts Seita Vesa and Kaisa Huhta reflect on teaching theories and methods to research students with a focus on the methodological struggles students face.

by Seita Vesa & Kaisa Huhta | 30 July 2025
Unsplash image by Al Amin Mir

Understanding postcolonial penal reform in Bangladesh: navigating challenges in fieldwork as a judge-researcher

In this Methodological Musings post, Hussain Bari explores the challenges of postcolonial penal reform in Bangladesh through the unique lens of a judge-turned-researcher.

by Hussain Bari | 2 July 2025
Unsplash image by Amina Mo

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Adolescent and Young Somali Women Through the Rivers of Life Methodology

In this blog Jacqueline Nakaiza reflects on her research on the lived experience of Somali women through the rivers of life methodology.

by Jacqueline Nakaiza | 7 May 2025
Unsplash image Chile by Bailey Hall

Escribir sobre personas que desprecias: Aversión y empatía en la investigación

En este post de Reflexiones metodológicas, Marianne González Le Saux (Universidad de Chile) reflexiona sobre la aversión y la empatiá en la investigación

by Marianne González Le Saux | 9 April 2025
Unsplash image Chile by Bailey Hall

Writing about people you don’t like: On aversion and empathy in research

In this Methodological Musings post, Marianne González Le Saux (University of Chile) reflects on aversion and empathy in research.

by Marianne González Le Saux | 9 April 2025
Photo by Nitin Taiwal on Unsplash

Translating Lived Reality to “Academic Knowledge”: Epistemic Injustice in an Ethnographic Account of Sexual Consent in the Global South

In this Methodological Musings post, Mini Saxena (SOAS) reflects on her research on conditional consent in the Global South.

by Mini Saxena | 12 March 2025
A photo of a Chilean court house

Doing collective courtroom ethnography in times of exceptionality: the Chilean social outburst of 2019

In this post for Methodological Musings, Jeanne Hersant reflects on collective courtroom ethnography, highlighting its adaptability and potential to foster public accountability.

by Jeanne Hersant | 12 February 2025
A stack of papers in an office

Discourse analysis of court judgments: An effective (and sufficient) method for critically analysing judicial conceptions of justice

In this post for Methodological Musings, Bhavna Ramji explores using an text analysis of verdicts to understand how judges construct justice.

by Bhavna Ramji | 15 January 2025