College of Social Sciences

Over the past years, the Justice IRT provided a platform for cross-disciplinary networking and idea development, including in relation to responsive and specific calls for funding. Most recently, we organised series of well-attended and fruitful workshops focusing on sub-themes within the UKRI's Building Secure & Resilient World theme. 

Other events, were more open and provided a space for colleagues from different disciplines and career grades to meet each other and discuss topics of mutual interest. Highlights included the joint event with the Addressing Inequalities IRT, where we discussed issues of justice and inequality and their overlaps. Different perspectives combined to shed new light on existing issues (e.g. how trade unions should look more globally at whole supply chains), early career colleagues and established professors had in-depth debates and feedback was that the event had been inspiring.  Further events and collaborations were planned during this meeting, not all of which came to fruition, but this was an indication of the energy in the room.  We also co-organised an event with the Sustainability IRT in coordination with Scotland's International Development Alliance on collaborations and partnerships between academics and (I)NGOs. Other events that had some of this energy, but in smaller groups, were the speed-networking event and a Justice Open House, where Education and Sociology colleagues met for the first time and discussed the parallels in history and function between schools and prison. Theme leads also organised Social Science Research Open Day 2022, where we heard about the main interests and funding themes from representatives of Nuffield and also learned experiences from successful applicants. 

In addition to activities led by the Justice IRT, we also supported new and established research networks across the College, including the Glasgow Human Rights Network (GHRN), Youth & SDG 16 Research Network, and the Human Rights Education Network. A notable example is the IRT’s support to the re-launch of GHRN in 2023, after a period of dormancy, as a Scottish hub for interdisciplinary human rights expertise. This saw the Network re-invigorated with new student and staff members and re-connecting with external partners outside of the University. Such network activities have been a testament to the key role IRTs have played in contributing to a vibrant and diverse research environment in the College, by supporting researchers working in and across relevant disciplines. 

Individual researchers and research teams, networks, and centres across the College continue to carry out cutting-edge interdisciplinary research within the IRT’s thematic scope. Those interested can visit the websites of Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security; Centre of Excellence for Russian, Central & East European Studies; Global Security Network; Glasgow Human Rights Network; Scottish Centre for War Studies and Conflict Archaeology; Glasgow Refugee and Migration Network; and Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies, among others. 

A new IRT, ‘Peaceful, Secure and Empowered Societies’, will also be a hub for relevant interdisciplinary research in the College during 2024-2027. 

The IRT leads spent their time facilitating social science research that explores justice and fair decision making - from formal criminal and civic justice systems and human rights frameworks, to people's understanding of these concepts. The research at Glasgow also explored how concepts of justice and fairness are situated in different contexts, for example global corporations, education, migration, political economy, and armed conflict. 

Here is a spotlight of some of the previousJustice, Insecurity & Fair Decision Making IRT leads.