Human Rights (Research)

1st in the world for Development Studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)

Our PhD in Human Rights is radically interdisciplinary, spanning the social sciences and humanities. As a doctoral researcher, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake research in human rights beyond a narrow legal approach. You’ll:

• be co-supervised by faculty with expertise in a wide range of areas, from social sciences to humanities and to law

• benefit from our strong international networks for research and collaboration

• be a part of the doctoral and early career researcher community affiliated with the Centre for Rights, Reparations and Anti-Colonial Justice, and participate in the research-in-progress seminars and other events of the Centre.

Areas of study
Our areas of expertise and supervision include:

• human rights in international politics and global political economy, including foreign policy

• social movements, including labour, religious, indigenous, anti-colonial and rebel politics

• poverty, exploitation and dispossession

• racism, colonialism, anti-colonial mobilisations and anti-racism

• gender and sexuality

• race, indigeneity and ethnicity

• migration, asylum and refugeehood

• historical and contemporary forms of violence, including genocide and ethnic cleansing

• issues of identity and difference

• globalisation, development and climate change

• regional and global governance, as well as international and non-governmental organisations

• theories and philosophies of human rights, including of protection, obligation, responsibility and remedy

• theories and histories of the human and subject of rights

• business and human rights, including corruption and corporate obligations

• transitional and reparative justice

• ethical theories of human rights

• rule of law and post-conflict reconstruction.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.