Contributions from South Asia: A Hybrid Model of Formal and Informal Justice in Afghanistan

The Southernising Criminology Discussion Group is delighted to be hosting Professor Ali Wardak, of the University of South Wales, who will be presenting on the topic of 'Contributions from South Asia: A Hybrid Model of Formal and Informal Justice in Afghanistan'. In his presentation, Professor Wardak will provide a general overview of the 'state' of criminology in South Asia, and in particular reflect upon the dominance of informal models of justice, before moving on to discuss findings from his award-winning research on Afghanistan's justice system. To sign up for this event, please fill out the following registration form and the event link will be sent to you ahead of time. Please note that the registration form will close 24 hours prior to the event, so please contact the event organiser after this time.  

Speaker biography

Professor Ali Wardak, who obtained his PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, teaches criminology at the University of South Wales, and is a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. His main teaching and research interests focus on comparative crime and justice, transnational crime, Restorative Justice, and the relationships between state and non-state justice systems. From 2006 to 2008, he worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kabul, and co-authored the 2007 Afghanistan Human Development Report where a ‘hybrid model’ for post-Taliban justice system in Afghanistan is proposed. Professor Wardak has collaborated closely with Professor John Braithwaite of ANU on Peacebuilding Compared research project that focuses on a study of ‘what works in peace building’ and on the causes of conflicts in 48 countries around the world. He is a Vice President of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology and has been invited speaker at major conferences/forums in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Professor Wardak has published widely, and is the joint winner (with John Braithwaite) of the 2013 Radzinowicz Prize. On winning the prize, professor Wardak was congratulated by President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan through an official letter of tributes. In November 2017, he won the University of South Wales ‘Best International Impact Award’ in recognition of the impact of his research on the justice system of Afghanistan. Professor Wardak’s research was nominated for the 2018 Times Higher Education Awards.