Study with us at CSLS

Join a leading centre for socio-legal research. We offer rigorous graduate programmes, close academic supervision, and a vibrant intellectual community.

Welcome to the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

For over fifty years the Oxford Centre has been at the forefront of research into the nature and role of law in society. Our researchers study law as a historical and culturally specific mode of social organisation that takes a variety of forms within and across societies. Our expert staff bring together a wide variety of disciplinary expertise including law, sociology, anthropology, politics, international relations, human rights, economics, geography and art history to examine the interface of law and society.

Want to learn more?

Check out our latest annual report and explore the Archive of CSLS Reports.

Our Values

Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies Blog

This image is a historical illustration from a medieval Arabic manuscript. It depicts a group of men engaged in scholarly discussion or debate. The scene includes four figures seated on the ground: Three men on the left wear traditional Middle Eastern garments, including long robes and turbans. They appear to be listening intently, gesturing with their hands, indicating active engagement in the conversation. The man on the right is dressed in a patterned blue robe and a brown cloak with swirling designs.

Who are the lawgivers? A comparative perspective

In this week's Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies, Fernanda Pirie and Francesca Uberti reflect upon a panel discussion exploring the place and role of the lawgiver in historical, religious, and contemporary settings. Read the full post here, which is published as part of the blog’s Borderlands section. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter here.

Read the full blog post here

Front facade of Cinema Rif, showing its name in both Latin and Arabic script, with sunlight and palm leaves casting shadows across the building.

Looking at Law and Legal Phenomena through the Lens of Arab Cinema and Drama

Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Dr. Fatima Ahdash (Hamad Bin Khalifa University) about looking at law through the lens of Arab cinema and drama. Listen to the full episode here, which is published as part of the blog’s Talking about Methods podcast. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter here.

Listen to the full episode here

Putting ‘Values’ Back in Mental Capacity Law

Dr. Urania Chiu reviews Cressida Auckland’s monograph, Values and Disorder in Mental Capacity Law (Oxford University Press, 2024). Read the full post here, which is published as part of the blog’s A Good Read section. If you would like to receive a summary of all of Frontiers’ latest posts, please sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter here.

Read the full blog post here

Our Graduate Students

"I set out to do an ethnography among Adivasi (tribes/indigenous communities) groups in the South Gujarat region of India. I wanted to understand the evolution of customary norms relating to kinship, land, and forests. Over the course of my fieldwork, I began to learn that the narratives framed around the past provide crucial groundwork towards an ethnography of the present.

-Aastha Prasad