PUBLICATIONS
In this section we feature the latest socio-legal publications, including books, journals and reports, blogs, newsletters and other online resources.
If you would like your publication added to this page, please contact Marie Selwood.
SOCIO-LEGAL BOOKS
Engaging with Engagement: Analysing the Formation of Promises, Contracts and Voluntary Obligations in Scots Law
Jonathan Brown
This short book examines the taxonomy of ‘voluntary obligations’ presented by Viscount Stair in his seminal Institutions of the Law of Scotland, arguing that – notwithstanding ongoing proposals to significantly reform ‘Scots contract law’ – Stair’s account…
Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology: call for titles and abstracts
edited by Lynsey Black, Esmorie Miller and Lizzie Seal
The editors are compiling an international handbook of historical criminology, to be published by Routledge. We encourage potential contributors to submit chapter abstracts for consideration which relate to this area of research. See announcement for details.
Call…
Immunity on Trial: Ethiopian Courts, Chinese Corporations, and Contestations over Sovereignty
Miriam Driessen
Political and legal immunity are justified by the principle that certain social aims outweigh the value of imposing liability. To be exempt from the rules, however, is a privilege granted to or demanded by the powerful. The…
Queering UK Refugee Law: Sexual Diversity and Asylum Administration
Alex Powell
In the context of a global backlash against both migrant and LGBTIQA+ rights , this book critically examines the experiences of LGBTIQA+ people within the UK asylum system.
The book draws on interviews with refugees, legal practitioners…
International Law and Architecture
edited by Renske Vos, Sofia Stolk and Miriam Bak McKenna
Through eye-catching design or bureaucratic functionality, buildings make international law tangible for its practitioners, audiences and constituencies. This compelling book furthers our understanding of the impact of architecture on the field of international law with imagination and…
The Palimpsest Constitution: The Social Life of Constitutions in Myanmar
Melissa Crouch
Since the mid-20th century, many postcolonial states have engaged in multiple constitution-making exercises, with the turnover in written constitutions often due to coups or internal conflict. Conversely, people have resisted authoritarian rule through alternative constitution-making. The reality…
JOURNALS AND REPORTS
'A New Approach to Non-consensual Oral Penetration' by Katie Hunt
This open access article is published in the Journal of Criminal Law.
Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly: new 'Reflections on Teaching' article by Kryss Macleod
In the second article in this series, Kryss Macleod, Manchester Metropolitan University, in her contribution ‘Teaching law inside complexity: immanent pedagogy and the possibility of becoming’, argues that the ‘double bind’ of teaching law – meeting external requirements while resisting their constraints – can…
The Impact of ‘Safe Country’ Concepts on Women Seeking Asylum in the UK
This report draws together insights from a roundtable, hosted by Women in Refugee Law (WiRL) Network and Asylos, including discussion of:
The use of ‘safe country’ concepts in the UK
The role of country of origin information in ‘safe country’ assessments
Concerns about the…
UK Poverty 2026: The Essential Guide to Understanding Poverty in the UK
Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, read the annual state of the nation report, UK Poverty 2026. The report, which accounts for the time just before the current government took power and clearly shows the depth of the problem and the scale of the…
Special Issue of the International Sports Law Journal: 'Empowering Athletes’ Human Rights' – just published
What is the current landscape of athletes' human rights? How should athletes' rights be understood in their various roles as workers, politicised citizens or as private individuals? How can human rights framework and sport body policies address future challenges to athlete rights? These are…
Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly: new 'Reflections on Writing' by Maksymilian Del Mar
Maksymilian Del Mar, Queen Mary University of London, has written the sixteenth article in this series (and the first in NILQ volume 77). In his wide-ranging contribution, he offers the thought that the three key ingredients for a writer are 'time, community and experiment'.…
Special issue of PRACTICE: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education: call for abstracts
This special issue of PRACTICE: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education explores how belonging (or exclusion) is lived, enacted or reimagined within the development of legal education and associated professional learning across contemporary undergraduate, postgraduate and professional education. The deadline for abstracts is 17 May…
BLOGS, NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: celebrating International Women’s Day 8 March
In honour and celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies is spotlighting several blog posts that examine how the law structures women’s lives across jurisdictions and contexts.
Three New 'Meet the Author' Blogs from the Journal of Law and Society
Institute for Law and AI: latest newsletter
Updates include: research showing how US Tech Force can overcome key challenges;
applications for upcoming events on law-following AI and other topics; open roles at LawAI for research scholars and operations professionals.
Support Through Court: spring newsletter
Catch up with the latest news from the charity that supports people without representation in its 25th anniversary year.
Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: Utopia as a Method
Professor Linda Mulcahy talks to Aislinn Fanning, Cristy Clark, Zoe Tongue, and Ruth Houghton about utopia as a method. Listen to the full episode here, which is published as part of the blog's Talking About Methods podcast.
We Society Podcast: Season 10 launched
Brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust, this podcast tackles the big questions through a social science lens and brings you some of the best ideas to shape the way we live.
See website for Season 10 and all past seasons.
Podcast: Confessions of an Early Career Researcher
Last year, the Trust teamed up with the British Academy to produce Confessions of an Early Career Researcher – a new podcast by ECRs, for ECRs. From funding applications and precarious contracts to imposter syndrome and mentorship, no topic is off limits. Hosted by Dr Leonie Smith, a former Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, all episodes are now available to watch on YouTube.
Leverhulme Trust Newsletter: February 2026
This issue features an incredibly broad range of topics, including spaces of belonging in higher education, geographies of gene editing, tackling labour shortages in an ever-changing world, entanglements with invasive weeds in the Anthropocene and the archaeological curation crisis.
Read the full issue here.
National Centre for Research Methods: Methods News February 2026
Follow the link to discover the latest news from the NCRM at the University of Southampton, including details of how to join the AI In Surveys Network and its upcoming seminar series and Southampton Education School’s Quantitative Methods in Education Masterclass Series.
Nuffield Foundation February Newsletter
This month’s Nuffield Foundation Newsletter highlights the realities facing young people and the public systems designed to support them – from mental health services stretched to capacity, to fragilities across education, justice and the wider workforce.
British Academy: Launch of Global (Dis)Order Evidence Hub
This hub presents discussion papers commissioned by the British Academy and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on topics and themes relevant to the programme's workstreams.
See website to explore the full collection.
Latest News from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Read the latest JRF updates including a new report 'Reimagining realism' and the latest event in the 'How People Think about Homes' series.
Restricting Jury Trials Carries Substantial Risk and Little Gain – Bar Council
The Bar Council has commented on a new court reform bill which is set to include removing the right to jury trial for cases that carry a likely sentence of less than three years. The reforms are set to apply retrospectively to cases that are in the system.
See press release for details.
AcSS Policy Monitor: UK open consultations
Read the latest Policy Monitor to see and respond to the summary of latest consultations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Catch up on all seasons of the We Society podcast from the AcSS
The aim of the We Society podcast is to highlight the thousands of ways the social sciences can help us understand and enhance this complicated and fascinating human network.
All nine seasons are available on the website. Series 10 starts in March.
British Academy: Response to the resuming of REF2029
On 10 December, the Academy responded to the announcements surrounding the resuming of REF2029, following a three-month pause on the final guidance and criteria-setting of the exercise.
See website for the full response.
British Academy: Response to the Office for Students' consultation on quality regulation
In early December, the Academy responded to the Office for Students' latest consultation on quality regulation, including proposed changes to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).