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University of Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Talking about Methods

Welcome to Talking about Methods, a series of podcasts brought to you by the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies in Oxford. In each podcast, Professor Linda Mulcahy will be in conversation with leading scholars in the field about how a variety of different research methods have informed their Socio-Legal work. From surveys to semi-structured interviews and beyond, we delve into the challenges, dilemmas, and unexpected twists and turns of empirical research. The podcasts below are the first in a programme of podcasts about methods we will be developing at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies in Oxford over the next couple of years. You will find a short reading list to accompany each talk to guide future reading. Enjoy!

View all of our episodes, categorised by methods and methodologies, at a glance here.

A vintage TV with static in the dark

Researching Law’s Visual Culture

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Leslie Moran (School of Law, Birkbeck College) about researching the visual culture of law.

by Leslie J Moran | 15 February 2023
A question mark amongst a sea of rocks and pebbles.

Decolonising Research Questions

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Sarah Radcliffe (Department of Geography, University of Cambridge) about decolonising research questions.

by Sarah Radcliffe | 18 January 2023
Open books overfill the frame.

Doing a Biography of a Piece of Legislation

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Sally Sheldon (University of Bristol Law School) about doing a biography of a piece of legislation.

by Sally Sheldon | 16 November 2022
Wooden gavel on top of a Macbook a computer keyboard.

Interviewing Judges

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Dr Mark Coen (School of Law, University College Dublin) about interviewing judges.

by Mark Coen | 19 October 2022
Black and white chess pieces on a chessboard.

The Price of Positionality

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Mark Fathi Massoud (University of California, Santa Cruz) about positionality in Socio-Legal research.

by Mark Fathi Massoud | 14 September 2022
Gita Gill sitting with local women and men outdoors in front of a tent.

Doing Research in a Developing Country

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Gita Gill (School of Law, Northumbria University) about her experience of doing fieldwork in India.

by Gita Gill | 13 July 2022
A person using a pen to write text on a piece of paper.

Shadowing Human Rights Lawyers

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Dr Agnieszka Kubal (UCL) about her experience of shadowing human rights lawyers in her research.

by Agnieszka Kubal | 15 June 2022
A gloved hand in the foreground holding a crystal ball which shows an inverted image of the scenic background of a sunrise.

Insider Research

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Dr Roxana Willis (University of Oxford) about doing insider research.

by Roxana Willis | 18 May 2022
A row of compact book shelves.

Archiving and Working with Secondary Datasets

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Herbert Kritzer (University of Minnesota Law School) about archiving and working with secondary datasets.

by Herbert Kritzer | 20 April 2022
Silhouette of person standing in front of an aquarium.

Observation

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Robert Dingwall (Nottingham Trent University) about using observation in socio-legal research.

by Robert Dingwall | 16 March 2022
Scrabble tiles showing 'FEMINIST'.

Feminist Judgments

In this IWD 2022 special, Professor Linda Mulcahy speaks with Professor Rosemary Hunter, Professor Sharon Cowan, and Professor Aoife O'Donoghue about various feminist judgments projects.

by Rosemary Hunter, Sharon Cowan & Aoife O’Donoghue | 8 March 2022
A video camera in the foreground recording a woman sitting in front of bookcases in the background.

Elite Interviewing

In this episode of Talking about Methods, Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Professor Veronica Taylor (Australian National University) about elite interviewing.

by Veronica Taylor | 16 February 2022