Socio-legal news

Welcome to the news section of the SLSA website. This area is divided into the following categories:

Events
Publications
Research and funding
Vacancies
Online resources
Networks
Consultations, inquiries and reviews
Other announcements

If you would like an item added to the news section, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

New for week ending 24 May 2019 . . .

Vacancies

TRIALS Workshops: Training Initiative for Asian Law and Society Scholars – call for applications

Applications are invited for participants in the first two workshops which will take place at the National University of Singapore on 9–12 December 2019 and 29 June–2 July 2020. Please see flyer for details. Closing date: 20 June 2019.

Three lectureships in law and one lectureship in law (practice), University of Salford

Applications are invited for the above positions:

Closing date for all posts: 27 May 2019.

Two postdoctoral research fellows, University of Birmingham

Applications are invited for the following posts:

Closing date for both positions: 2 June 2019.

At least three lecturers, one senior lecturer and multiple chairs in law, University of Sheffield

Applications are invited for the following positions at the University of Sheffield, School of Law:

at least three lectureships – closing date 3 June 2019
one senior lecturer – closing date 11 June 2019
multiple chairs in law – closing date 11 June 2019.

See attachment for a brief overview of the roles.

Call for Applications/Nominations as scientific director of the International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati

Applications are invited for the above position. Please see attachment and webpage for details. Closing date: 1 July 2019.

Amicus Curiae editorship: call for expressions of interest

Expressions are invited for this honorary position as editor of Amicus Curiae, the official journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Please see attachment for full details. Closing date: 3 June 2019.

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Online resources

Sabinet partnership with Jisc gives access to African law journals

For the past 35 years, Sabinet has continued to innovate and expand on ways to achieve its inaugural intent – to facilitate the sharing of library resources and access to information. One such innovation is its newest partnership with UK-based Jisc – a leading provider of digital solutions for UK education and research.

Subscribers to Jisc Collections can now access information and resources pertaining to the South African legal system via Sabinet’s leading African Law Journals collection. As the need for inclusive content continues to grow in the higher and further education sectors, the inclusion of Sabinet’s legal journal collection is exciting news for researchers looking for accurate and up-to-date South African and African legal content.

Sabinet’s law journals collection is one of nine collections hosted on their online journal platform - African Journals. The legal collection comprises 46 full-text academic publications relating to South African and African law, including fields of criminal law, comparative law, estate planning, human rights law, tax and company law. Users will discover diverse topics from academia and industry across titles such as:

African Human Rights Law Journal
Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa
Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology
Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal
South African Law Journal
Law, Democracy and Development
Child Abuse Research in South Africa

Visit the website for details.

New Blog: 'Housing After Grenfell': call for contributions

A ‘Housing After Grenfell’ blog has been launched by Susan Bright, Centre for Socio-legal Studies, Oxford. She is inviting contributions to add to the debate about housing and law-related matters following the Grenfell Tragedy. For current blogs and for guidelines on how to contribute, see: the blog homepage.

New Blog on Law and Anthropology

A new platform dedicated to legal anthropolog and run by French and European researchers has been launched. This new blog entitled Law and Anthropology is dedicated to news, analysis and debates on legal anthropology.

Research Impact at the UK Parliament: New web hub for researchers

The UK Parliament has launched a new web hub providing researchers with a wealth of information about how to engage with Parliament. Please see web hub for details.

Sociolegal model making

Amanda Perry-Kessaris has created six sociolegal model-making videos on topics included placeholding and material metaphorization.

Legal Scholarship Blog

The Legal Scholarship Blog is a service from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law and University of Washington School of Law. It features law-related calls for papers, conferences and workshops as well as general legal scholarship resources.

Law and Development: Thinking into|about practice: call for contributions

Academics and practitioners are invited to contribute to this collection by informally drawing on text, objects and/or images to reflect upon the nexus between thinking and practice in the field of law and development. To propose a new contribution please contact academic coordinator Amanda Perry-Kessaris.

This collection is part of the Legal Treasure Project.

Film: Socio-legal modelmaking 1 Decisions

The first in a series of films demonstrating the potential of 3D modelmaking as a tool for thinking about complex socio-legal projects and ideas.

OfficialpapersUK Blog

The OfficialpapersUK blog was launched by the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on 14 September 2015. Managed by members of the Standing Committee on Official Papers (SCOOP) it will have regular posts about collections, web archives and news about official publications from across the UK and further afield.

Judicial Appointments Commission: Am I Ready tools – feedback requested

The Judicial Appointments Commission has published some 'Am I Ready?' tools on its website designed to help candidates to assess whether they are ready to apply for judicial appointment. Key points about whom the tools are aimed at and what they involve are provided below. This is the first version of these tools and feedback is invited so they can continue to be developed. Please send any comments to this This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Interdisciplinary Network for Social Protest Research

The Interdisciplinary Network for Social Protest Research (INSPR) promotes cross-disciplinary exchange in social movements research among approaches and disciplines. INSPR organises interdisciplinary events and meetings aimed at promoting multidisciplinary discussion and interdisciplinary collaboration on topics such as social movements, social protest, social change and political behaviour. INSPR is a central hub of interdisciplinary information on social protest and social movements and hosts information about current research, conferences, travel grants, collaboration opportunities and publications. For more information or to sign up to INSPR follow the link. If you want to share information about conferences, calls for paper, or publications, send an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to specifying the necessary details.

UK Data Service: Qualibank

Search and brows qualitative surveys, interviews and open-ended questions. Please follow link for details.

Nelson Mandela: Rivonia trial recordings

The British Library was instrumental in rescuing the unique recording of Nelson Mandela's trial in 1964. The resource has recently been updated with a new blog, audio clips and pictures.

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British Library help for researchers: Privy Council appeal cases

Follow the link for various primary sources for research on the Privy Council and the disputes decided within the scope of its judicial function and varied colonial and domestic jurisdictions.

Pioneers of Qualitative Research

British social research experienced an unprecedented flowering from the 1940s to the 1970s. This enabled many researchers to carry out their research on a scale and with a methodological diversity which could not easily be repeated today. This website highlights the pioneers who did this research alongside in-depth life story interviews which explain the context of the research – personal, social and intellectual.

Rule of Law Treasures at the British Museum: A mini virtual tour

Constructed by Amanda Perry-Kessaris, this virtual tour visits five objects at the British Musuem exploring the theme of the 'Rule of law'. The tour is based upon the British Museum–BBC History of the World in 100 Objects project.

Ten years of the Old Bailey Online

The AHRC Old Bailey Online project contains a searchable archive of the trials from 1674 to 1913.

British Library recordings of Rivonia Trial

The British Library has recordings from the Rivonia Trial of Nelson Mandela and an interview with Joel Joffe (Mandela’s defence lawyer) in its recorded sound collections.

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In His Own Voice: H L A Hart in conversation with David Sugarman

Oxford University Press has digitalised the audio version of Professor David Sugarman’s (Lancaster University Law School) interview with H L A Hart of 1988 and posted it on the web as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations marking the publication of Hart’s The Concept of Law and a new 3rd (2012) edition. Follow the link to access the interview, and a blog about the interview.

National Centre for Research Methods

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) has made available intro-level 'What is?' audio slideshows from the Fifth ESRC Research Methods Festival. Subjects include: 'What are qualitative research ethics?' and 'What are cohort studies'? Visit the website to view the videos.

International Investment Arbitration and Public Policy

This new open access, non-commercial website offers: access to a database of investment treaty cases; an indication of the policy areas to which cases appear to relate; the appointment records of individual arbitrators; other information and commentary on the system.

British Library for Development Studies

Law and development regulation and policy literature newly online at BLDS Digital Library via creative commons.

The National Archive

The National archive crimes, courts and convicts collection is now available.

Statistics on recent public disorder published

Please see Justice website for details.

New resource from the British Library: World Newsreels online

The British Library has announced that hundreds of hours of world newsreels from 1929–1966 have been added to the Electronic Resources pages. They can be accessed via this link.

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Networks

Network for Early Career Researchers in the Criminal Justice Voluntary Sector: open for applications

Applications are invited from early career researchers to join this new network, run by Dr Philippa Tomczak, Sheffield University, and funded by a British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award. Please see flyer for details. Closing date for applications: 3 April 2017.

Judicial Images Network: Invitation to join

The Judical Images Network is a new initiative supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The aim of the project is to promote dialogue, understanding, future research and collaboration amongst stakeholders about the production, management and consumption of judicial images. Please see invitation for details and visit the website. A series of events is also planned.

New network for restorative justice research

The Community of Restorative Researchers is a new student-led research network connecting restorative justice researchers across a number of disciplines. It was launched in June 2014. Please see attachment for full details.

Howard League Early Career Academics Network

The Howard League for Penal Reform runs an internet based Early Career Academics Network (ECAN) which has over 400 members. The network provides a regular channel of communication and information about research and promotes closer working and an interface between academics and campaigners. The network is free to join and is interested in recruiting members working in fields related to criminology, social policy, law, or the humanities. Please see attachment for full details.

Graphic Justice

Graphic Justice is for anyone interested in the intersection of justice and graphic fiction. Comics, cartoons, graphic novels, manga and other visual narratives have had a considerable impact on cinema, books and the internet. They form a significant – and growing – element of popular culture, yet the intersection between comics and the concerns of law and justice is one that has received little critical attention. Whether you work in legal studies, philosophy, cultural studies, legal education, penology, law enforcement, art, criminology, sociology, imprisonment/corrections, or literary studies, if you’re interested in comics and the concerns of justice – Graphic Justice is for you. The aim is to gather together academics and practitioners, interested parties and artists, and to promote discourse and engagement on this expansive and under-researched area. An international and collaborative space can be found at graphicjustice.blogspot.com, and you can make contact via the comments sections on that website, or via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. For more details, see the attached call for interest.

LawSync

LawSync is a project in the Department of Law, Criminology, and Community Justice at Sheffield Hallam University. The project aims to see a better synchronisation between law as an academic discipline and professional practice, the expectations both of legal professionals and users of legal services, and regulatory influences. The website will offer an online resource where new developments and opportunities can be discussed on a blog. The project is also planning to develop a teaching module which will encourage students to innovate in response to developments in legal regulation, the use of technology and consumer expectations. For full details, visit the LawSync website.

Law Development and the Arts Network

The Law, Development and the Arts Network (LDAN) is a forum for those who seek to challenge the boundaries of expertise and expert language, using the arts as an accessible vernacular to explore and communicate ideas, processes and projects in law and development. Members are drawn from academic, policy, non-governmental and artistic institutions. The academic coordinators are Deval Desai (SOAS), Patrick Hanafin (Birkbeck) and Amanda Perry-Kessaris (SOAS). For more information see the LDAN website

American Sociological Association

Call from American Sociological Association presidence Erik Olin Wright to improve sociology entries on Wikipedia. See link for details.

British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Rights Study Group

The British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Rights Study Group is developing fast, and new members are very welcome. Membership is free and open to all; information on how to join (including our jiscmail email list) is available here. The group recently published ‘Sociology and human rights: new engagements’, a special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights 14(6), November 2010. This was co-edited by the group’s convenors: Michele Lamb (Roehampton University), Patricia Hynes (NSPCC), Damien Short (Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London) and Matthew Waites (University of Glasgow). The opening article is co-authored by the editors and provides an introduction to sociological research on human rights. The volume has also been published as a book by Taylor and Francis in 2011.

International Academic Network on Bioethics ( Réseau international universitaire de bioéthique)

The International Academic Network on Bioethics is headed by Professor Brigitte Feuillet Liger, Université de Rennes I, France. It is a network of law professors from many European jurisdictions, as well as from the USA, Japan, Brazil, Chile and some African countries. It works on the basis of a workshop every 18 months or so on a defined topic in the area of bioethics and invites relevant specialists to participate to supplement the legal analysis (notably doctors, psychoanalysts, sociologists). An edited collection is then produced on the topic. The working language of the network is French, but English versions of the collections will also be published by Bruylant publishers (Belgium) The network’s first theme on donor anonymity in assisted reproduction has been published in French and the English version will be published in September 2010. The second publication on adolescents and medical decision-making will be out by the end of the year (in French with an English version due shortly thereafter). More information is available from the website an English version of which is planned. Thérèse Callus

New JISCmail group: The Vulnerability Network

This is to announce the creation of a new JISCMAIL group: The Vulnerability Network. The aim of the network is to facilitate a space in which academics can interact on this theme – and to allow for a range of initiatives to be set up, including joint publications, events, funding bids etc. The list already has 30 members, and one call for contributions to an edited collection on vulnerability and migrant women. Please do join if you are interested. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Consultations, inquiries and reviews

Law Commission's consultation paper on the Right to Manage

The Law Commission has opened a consultation on leaseholders right to manage their building. Please see website for details. Closing date: 30 April 2019.

Law Commission consultation on simplifying immigration rules

The Law Commission invites responses to its consultation on simplifying immigration rules. Please see website for details. Closing date: 26 April 2019.

Law Commission consultation paper on commonhold reform

The Law Commission has published a consultation paper on commonhold reform: 'Reinvigorating commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership'. The consultation period is open until 10 March 2019. See website for details.

Law Commission: preliminary consultation on automated vehicles

The Law Commission is reviewing the regulatory framework for the safe deployment of automated vehicles in the UK. The preliminary consultation is now open and closes on 8 February 2019.

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Other announcements

Dwijen Rangnekar Award for Contributions to Global Social Justice: call for nominations

Warwick Law School has established an award to honour former colleague and friend Dr Dwijen Rangnekar, who worked as an associate professor of Law at Warwick before his untimely death in 2015. The award is open to Warwick students and alumni. Please see website for details. Closing date: 31 May 2019.

'Exploring feminist academics’ experiences of teaching gendered and intersectional socio-legal issues': call for participants

Dr Marian Duggan (Kent) and Dr Charlotte Bishop (Exeter) are looking for UK university-based feminist academics who teach criminal law, criminology or criminal justice to participate in a research project funded by the SLSA. This will involve completing an online survey exploring experiences of incorporating gender and intersectional socio-legal issues into teaching. We are interested in hearing from established academics and early career researchers from all areas of the UK, whether or not you are able to incorporate these perspectives at present. If you are interested in participating, further information and a link to the survey is available here. If you have any questions about this research please email either This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Charlotte Bishop. Follow-up focus groups will be conducted in the autumn – details of how to participate in these are available via the survey.

Leverhulme Trust: new website launched

The Leverhulme Trust has announce the launch of its new website. See the new website for details of grants, the newsletter and other details.

ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2019: open for applications

The ESRC has launched the 2019 Celebrating Impact Prize. The ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize is an annual opportunity to recognise and celebrate the success of ESRC-funded researchers in achieving and enabling outstanding economic and/or social impact from excellent social science research. Please see website for details. Closing date: 8 January 2019.

Sexual Offences: Assessing the impact of the definitive guideline – Sentencing Council

The Sentencing Council has completed an impact assessment of the Sexual Offences Definitive Guideline. The guideline, which came into force in April 2014, covers over 50 offences including rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and indecent images. The guideline appears to have achieved its aim to make sentencing practice more consistent for the offences covered, with one exception: sexual assault. This offence has seen an increase in average sentencing severity since the guideline came into force. Having considered the impact assessment, the Council will revisit areas of the guideline for which issues were identified. See website to download the full report or executive summary.

ESRC Better Lives writing competition

The ESRC writing competition aims to encourage and reward outstanding written communication by ESRC-funded students. In a change to previous eligibility requirements, the competition is only open to students who are in receipt of ESRC funding onthe closing date: 7 December 2018. First prize: £1000. Please see website for further details.

Law Commission Consultation on Employment Law Hearing Structures

On 27 September 2018, the Law Commission has launched the above consulation. Please see website for details. Closing date: 11 January 2019.

Open access and monographs survey by UKRI

UKRI invites learned societies, subject associations and researchers to complete a short survey aimed at providing evidence to be used during policy development with regard to open access and monographs. Please see attachment for full details. There are two surveys: one for researchers and one for learned societies and subject associations.

Law Commission: new Welsh law reform project on tribunals

Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, has announced that the Law Commission will review the laws which govern tribunals in Wales. The consultation will commence in 2019. Please see website for details.

BAILLI User Survey

BAILLI is inviting users to take part in a survey to help understand who its users are, what they want from BAILII, what they like and don't like, and how the service can be improved to best meet users' needs. Please see website for details. The survey only takes about five minutes to complete.

LLM in Law and Social Justice, University of Leeds

The School of Law, University of Leeds is launching an innovative and interdisciplinary LLM in Law and Social Justice. The course is designed for both recent graduates and those currently in employment. For more information see the website.

Flinders mourns the passing of a pop culture pioneer, Steve Redhead

Flinders University has announced the passing of Steve Redhead, the world’s first Professor of Law and Popular Culture. Please see webpage for Flinders University's tribute to Steve.