Department of Sociology of Law, Lund University

Department of Sociology of Law, Lund University One of the world's leading institutions for research and education in sociology of law.

We have reason to celebrate at the Sociology of Law Department!On March 25, the Grant Management Services of the Europea...
01/04/2026

We have reason to celebrate at the Sociology of Law Department!

On March 25, the Grant Management Services of the European Commission notified Rustam Urinboyev that we will receive €5 million in funding for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Programme on Post-Imperial Islamic Legal Cultures (i.e., Islam, secularism and democracy). This programme will fund the recruitment of 15 PhD students. Four of these will be hired at the Sociology of Law Department.

Stay tuned for more information about the doctoral network “A Sociology of Post-Imperial Islamic Legal Cultures: Insights from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia” and its associated doctoral student positions.

The project “Preparing for the Unprecedented: Enabling local knowledges for effective adaptation in the Amazon” is hirin...
16/03/2026

The project “Preparing for the Unprecedented: Enabling local knowledges for effective adaptation in the Amazon” is hiring a postdoctoral researcher.

The project aims to identify legal, policy, and knowledge-based frameworks that empower indigenous peoples and local communities to adapt to climate stress in ways that preserve their cultural and environmental heritage while enhancing their well-being and autonomy.

The postdoctoral researcher will:
▪️Contribute to the theoretical, methodological, and interdisciplinary study of adaptation to climate change in the Amazon.
▪️Carry out extensive fieldwork and other related duties chiefly in the Colombian Amazon region and neighbouring Amazonian countries.
▪️Contribute to publishing findings, participating in workshops, and presenting at international conferences.

The position is planned to start on 1 September 2026. Applicants must have a PhD degree in the social sciences and have an excellent command of Spanish and English to conduct interviews, fieldwork, and community-based research in Spanish-speaking contexts.

Learn more about the position and how to apply in Lund University’s Recruitment Portal: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:913098/

A warm welcome to the Sociology of Law Department, Victoria Canning, who joins us at 20 percent for two years as a Visit...
06/02/2026

A warm welcome to the Sociology of Law Department, Victoria Canning, who joins us at 20 percent for two years as a Visiting Professor.

Canning is a Professor of Criminology at Lancaster University, researching border harms and zemiology, torture, and sexualised violence. Additionally, she is the Head of the Harm, Crime and Criminalisation Research Centre, and Associate Director of Border Criminologies at Oxford University. Professor Canning has published seven books as author or editor and was the winner of the 2018 British Society of Criminology Book Prize.

Why did you choose Lund University?

"Lund University – and specifically the Department of Sociology of Law – has been such an important influence for me in its real-world impact and approaches to disrupting disciplinary norms. I have visited on numerous occasions and was lucky enough to have been inspired by Reza Banakar, whose vision for a defined space for a sociology of law has been carried on by contemporary colleagues."

How do you describe your current research?

"For almost 20 years, I have been researching border harms and responses to migrant survivors of violence and torture. My current research – Supporting Survival - moves the findings and theories from these projects into positive practice. Through collaborative toolkit development with NGOs and grassroot organisations, survivor and practitioner knowledge and expertise is more easily accessible."

What will be your main research focus during your time at Lund University?

"I see this as an opportunity to collectively build ways with Lund University colleagues to move research knowledge into practice and critical pedagogy. I’m excited to introduce the Supporting Survival toolkit and R2R Asylum Navigation Board to the department and hope to develop projects where similar approaches can be take,n working across the multitude of research expertise in the department."

How can we use law, policy, and transnational advocacy against global ecological destruction? Environmental defenders an...
26/11/2025

How can we use law, policy, and transnational advocacy against global ecological destruction?

Environmental defenders and allies reflect on strategies they have used in their work to fight for socio-ecological justice using transnational networks. In a time when environmental harm disregards borders, transnational networks are a core part of the response. This roundtable event highlights diverse cases—from coral reef protection and pesticide regulation in Mexico to legal resistance against copper mining in the Colombian Amazon—where defenders, legal clinics, and transnational networks are creatively using legal tools and advocacy strategies to protect ecosystems under threat.

Environmental defenders are at the forefront of developing new and innovative advocacy strategies to challenge destructive practices, influence policy, and build new pathways for ecological justice. Their innovative tools include legal accompaniment, parliamentary advocacy, international solidarity, and digital mobilization.

Speakers:
Rosa Galvez, Senator of Canada and member of Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future
Margarida Ravara, Environmental Defender Law Center, LU Alumni
Alejandra Ancheita, Executive Director of ProDESC (The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Project - Mexico)
Gustavo Alanís-Ortega, President of the Mexican Environmental Law Center (CEMDA)

Moderators: Ana Maria Vargas (Lund University) and Claudia Ituarte Lima (Raoul Wallenberg Institute).

Date: November 27
Time: 16.30-18.00 CET UTC+1
Location: Online (Zoom) and Ostrom in LUCSUS, Biskopsgatan 5, 223 62 Lund.
Fika will be served from 16:00, and there will be a mingle after.

Organized by the Defend-Bio Legal Clinic, hosted by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University. In collaboration with Hållbart Universitet, The Association for Foreign Affairs (UPF), The Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE), and the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). This event is part of the research projects: EHRD, Defend Bio, and Amazon Adapt.

Register here: https://forms.gle/YCRz5w9qDYC3yEyo7

At today's Research Seminar in Sociology of Law, Magnus Eriksson, a doctoral student in the department, presents his res...
05/11/2025

At today's Research Seminar in Sociology of Law, Magnus Eriksson, a doctoral student in the department, presents his research. Join us at 13:15 in our lecture room or online via Zoom.

https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/61530528282

The Sociology of Law Department at Lund University is pleased to announce two additional PhD positions starting in 2026....
31/10/2025

The Sociology of Law Department at Lund University is pleased to announce two additional PhD positions starting in 2026.

Associate Professor Rustamjon Urinboyev is looking for two PhD candidates to join research projects on law, governance, and everyday life in Central Asia.

- The doctoral studies are fully funded, full-time, 4-year positions, part of the EU-funded SOCIAL Doctoral Network (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions).
- You will gain international research experience, fieldwork opportunities, and academic and non-academic secondments, while being part of one of Europe's top universities.

📅 Apply by January 31, 2026

You find the two positions in Lund University's recruitment portal:
🔹PhD in Sociology of Law – Authoritarian Governance in Central Asia: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:870095/

🔹PhD in Sociology of Law – "Outside the Law": Legal Mobilization in Central Asia: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:869875/

The Sociology of Law Department at Lund University is offering at least one PhD position starting in September 2026.- Fu...
28/10/2025

The Sociology of Law Department at Lund University is offering at least one PhD position starting in September 2026.

- Fully funded
- Four-year, full-time PhD programme
- Work on-site in Lund, Sweden
- Dynamic research environment with opportunities for teaching

You need:
- Master’s degree in Sociology of Law or related field
- Strong English skills
- Motivation and ability to work independently

📅 Apply by January 31, 2026

🔗 Learn more and apply through the Lund University recruitment portal:
https://lnkd.in/duKSfsiS

For generations, Indigenous and riverine communities in the Amazon have relied on deep ecological knowledge to live in h...
13/10/2025

For generations, Indigenous and riverine communities in the Amazon have relied on deep ecological knowledge to live in harmony with the rainforest. But, as climate disasters reshape the woodlands, local expertise is often overlooked in environmental policies and scientific studies. A new research project aims to change that.

"It is possible to find plural solutions that both protect the Amazon's biodiversity and support the people who live there, so they can continue to be stewards of this vital ecosystem," says project leader Ana Maria Vargas.

Learn more about the project on the Sociology of Law Department's website: https://www.soclaw.lu.se/en/article/new-project-aims-bridge-climate-policy-and-indigenous-knowledge-amazon

The Danish Development Research Network interviews Rustamjon Urinboyev about "Sociology of Authoritarian Law: Insights f...
24/09/2025

The Danish Development Research Network interviews Rustamjon Urinboyev about "Sociology of Authoritarian Law: Insights from Central Asia", the first doctoral network led by Lund University under the EU’s Horizon Europe funding programme.

The overarching objective of the network is to contribute to efforts in understanding the challenges associated with promoting democratisation and good governance in authoritarian contexts.

"The legal system [in authoritarian countries] is a less politicised arena of communication between citizens and the state because, in authoritarian regimes, unlike democracies, channels of communication and daily interaction between citizens and the government take place through legal institutions, not political institutions," says Urinboyev.

Learn more on ddrn.dk: https://ddrn.dk/18550/

On Monday, August 25, we host our first public event of the semester, the book seminar "Structures of Inequality: The Ro...
18/08/2025

On Monday, August 25, we host our first public event of the semester, the book seminar "Structures of Inequality: The Role of Law and Regulation".

Drawing on the work of political theorists such as Iris Marion Young, our WASP-HS Visiting Professor, Sofia Ránchordas, will present her latest book on structural inequalities in the Italian context, alongside her ongoing research into key examples of how legal and regulatory frameworks throughout the world can be used to confront structural injustice.

The presentation will focus on three case studies in Italy, often examined through the lens of criminal law, but rarely from the perspective of equality and justice: The so-called "Land of Fires" (Terra dei Fuochi) involving unlawful waste disposal and serious public health risks; the Vele di Scampia, an emblem of social housing failure and urban neglect; and labor exploitation in agricultural value chains.

At the heart of her work lie two central questions: Why have these communities been systematically marginalised and exposed to long-standing structural injustice? And what role can law and regulation play in dismantling the very structures that sustain inequality?

Visit the Sociology of Law Department's website for more information about the seminar and how to attend online:
https://www.soclaw.lu.se/en/calendar/structures-inequality-role-law-and-regulation

At the end of the spring semester, the Sociology of Law Department received several new grants.⚖️ Project funds to study...
10/07/2025

At the end of the spring semester, the Sociology of Law Department received several new grants.

⚖️ Project funds to study climate governance in the Amazon
Ana Maria Vargas's research group received about 540,000 EUR for the four-year project promoting local knowledge for effective climate change adaptation in the Amazon. The researchers will examine how legal and institutional frameworks can either enable or constrain indigenous peoples' and local communities' participation in shaping climate adaptation policies. The goal is to contribute to more just and inclusive climate governance in the Amazon.

⛓️‍💥 Grant for conference promoting prison abolitionist practices
Ida Nafstad received 20,000 EUR from the Crafoord Foundation to finance the 53rd annual conference of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control. The conference aims to promote prison abolitionist practices. It will contribute to developing research-based alternatives to punitive and repressive systems while envisioning new ways of living and organising society. The conference will take place from 27 to 29 August 2025 at Lund University’s Theatre Academy in Malmö.

🕵 Visiting researcher grant funds guest professor for 2026
Rustamjon Urinboyev received 180,000 EUR from the Swedish Research Council, allowing Professor Timur Dadabaev, based at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, to conduct a 12-month research stay at Lund University starting January 2026. Dadabaev’s work will engage the intersections of legal cultures, informal practices, and institutional reform in Central Asia, with comparative insights from East Asia, in Urinboyev’s new project “Post-colonial Governance, Identity and Migration: Decolonial Legal Cultures, Policy Innovations, and Transnational Connectivity”. The fellowship marks the launch of a long-term institutional effort to establish a Transregional Decolonial Studies Hub at Lund University.

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Allhelgona Kyrkogata 18C
Lund
22362

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Måndag 09:00 - 17:00
Tisdag 09:00 - 17:00
Onsdag 09:00 - 17:00
Torsdag 09:00 - 17:00
Fredag 09:00 - 17:00

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