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University of Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Methodological Musings

A photograph from Anwita Dinkar's fieldwork, showing houses along a street in India

Overcoming Class Boundaries During Empirical Research with Vulnerable Communities

In this post for Methodological Musings, PhD student Anwita Dinkar reflects on her fieldwork experiences carrying out research with vulnerable communities, navigating the place and presence of class.

by Anwita Dinkar | 9 November 2022
Artwork by Aastha Prasad

Connecting the Past and Present: An Anecdote from the Dangs

In this post for Methodological Musings, DPhil student Aastha Prasad reflects on the construction of identities and ways of belonging through stories about the past, among Adivasi communities.

by Aastha Prasad | 12 October 2022
A photograph of robotics

‘Lawyer’ in the Lab: Navigating the ‘Extreme Robotics Lab’ as a Socio-Legal Researcher

In this post for Methodological Musings, Angela Eggleton reflects on the practice of 'discipline hopping' and the methodological insights encountered whilst undertaking research as a lawyer in a lab.

by Angela Eggleton | 7 September 2022
A photo of a blank page

Overwhelmed by Data? Or Stuck Through Sadness?

In this post for Methodological Muisngs, Professor Tamara Hervey explores the feelings of overwhelm and sadness that can happen when collecting data during Socio-Legal research.

by Tamara K Hervey | 17 August 2022
A photograph of a ladybird

The Sublime of the Everyday: Moments of Disruption as Connection in Remote Interviews During Sensitive Research

In this post for Methodological Musings, DPhil student Ellie Whittingdale reflects on moments of disruption as connection during online interviews with sexual violence support workers.

by Ellie Whittingdale | 27 July 2022
A photo of post boxes

Two Lessons: Conducting Empirical Research on Violence Against Women

In this post, Professor Cristina Valega Chipoco reflects on two main lessons learnt during her first fieldwork experience carrying out research into violence against women.

by Cristina Valega Chipoco | 6 July 2022
A photograph of paintbrushes with lots of colourful paint

Stories that Refugee Artworks Tell: Using the ‘Visual’ in Socio-Legal Research

In this post for Methodological Musings, Berfin Nur Osso reflects on art as method and the importance of the visual turn, drawing upon her own experiences using art in different empirical projects.

by Berfin Nur Osso | 8 June 2022
A photograph of someone walking

Movement as Socio-Legal Method

In this post for Methodological Musings, Dr Jess Smith explores movement as Socio-Legal method, drawing upon her rich field experiences journeying through the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge.

by Jessica Smith | 11 May 2022
A photo of different laptops on a table for collaborative working

Not Just for Nerds: Web-scraping as a Socio-Legal Research Tool

In this post for Methodological Musings, Dr Jed Meers reflects on his experiences using web-scraping as method, and makes the case that it is an enriching Socio-Legal research tool.

by Jed Meers | 13 April 2022
A photo of some spades in soil

We Should all Get our Hands Dirty: Reflections on Why Lawyers Should Become Archaeologists

In this post, Emma Nottingham reflects on legal archaeology as method, drawing upon her own work digging into legal cases and the methodological challenges and insights she encountered.

by Emma Nottingham | 2 March 2022
A photo of Baroness Hale in the Miller 2 judgement at the UKSC

‘Just Looking’: Methodological Challenges Researching the Visual Culture of Law

In this post, Professor Leslie Moran reflects on the methodological challenges of looking within Socio-Legal Research, drawing upon his experience working on videos produced by the UK Supreme Court.

by Leslie J Moran | 9 February 2022
A photo of a person using a laptop by Sergey Zolkin, downloaded under Unsplash License from Unsplash.com

Participant observation, internet ethnography and the lurking researcher

In this post, Francesca Uberti reflects on the meaning of participant observation, drawing upon her fieldwork carrying out internet ethnography and her experience of being the 'lurking researcher'.

by Francesca Uberti | 12 January 2022