Socio-Legal Review

SLR's Special 20th Anniversary Issue is out now! Volume 20(2) reflects on two decades of socio-legal inquiry from India, South Asia, and beyond—through legal history, anthropology, mitigation practice, comparative method & institutional memory. Read here: repository.nls.ac.in/slr/

New on the SLR Forum: Lakshmi Menon, from The Square Circle Clinic (@sqcircleclinic), reviews Alastair McClure's book 'Trials of Sovereignty', arguing that discretionary capital sentencing follows a colonial legacy designed for subjugation and punishment. sociolegalreview.com/post/the-legac…

Our Special 20th Anniversary Issue ends with a Postscript written by Kalyani Ramnath, Editor-in-Chief of SLR in 2007. Ramnath reflects on SLR’s journey, particularly the initial years, placing the question of socio-legal in an institutional context. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

In our fifth and final article, Sara Dezalay asks what a socio-legal enquiry looks like on a "global" scale when seen from the vantage point of Africa, showing the entanglement of law in the selective globalisation fostered by global value chains. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

In our fourth article, Maryam S Khan shows the emergence and development of socio-legal research in Pakistan in broad comparison with India, arguing that the meaning and evolution of “socio” in socio-legal is contingent on social and historical contexts. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

In our third article, Anup Surendranath and Maitreyi Misra show how mitigation practice—which draws heavily from social science disciplines—brings forth the tensions between the ostensible neatness of legal doctrine and the complexity of social reality. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

The second article in our Special Issue is by Deepa Das Acevedo and Jahnavi Chamarthi who discuss the relationship between the subdiscipline of legal anthropology and the broader field of law and society scholarship, with a special focus on India and SLR. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

In the first article of our Special Anniversary Issue, Elizabeth Lhost critically examines what constitutes “law’s archive” when doing legal history. Outlining trends in socio-legal history, she asks how a critical historian can tell a story of fragments. repository.nls.ac.in/slr/vol20/iss2…

The recording of the launch event of our Special 20th Anniversary Issue is now available on our YouTube channel. If you missed it, go watch an insightful discussion on the contours of socio-legal scholarship today, with special focus on South Asia. youtube.com/watch?v=y5MuTV…

Reminder to register for our Special 20th Anniversary Issue launch event happening tomorrow, 18 June at 3 PM IST. Catch SLR Editors in conversation with Elizabeth Lhost, Anup Surendranath, Maitreyi Misra, Maryam Khan, and Sara Dezalay. Register here: shorturl.at/ElSzB

In this interview, our editors spoke to Dr. Sagnik Dutta (@sagnikdutta) about their book, 'In the Shadow of Minority Rights' (CUP 2025), on Muslim women's resistance, activism and agency in the context of increasing Hindu majoritarianism and violence. sociolegalreview.com/post/muslimnes…

It’s finally here! India, South Asia, and Beyond—SLR’s ambitious 20th Anniversary Issue takes stock of the field. Join us on 18 June, 3 PM IST for its launch + round-table with our authors on what socio-legal inquiry means today. Q&A to follow! Register: shorturl.at/ElSzB

As part of SLR’s anniversary celebrations, we spoke with former editors about the journal’s evolution and socio-legal inquiry today. Our final feature before the Special Issue launch later this month! Read now at SLR Forum. @gautambhatia88 @meghamehta8488 sociolegalreview.com/post/looking-b…

In our third editor spotlight, Mannat Sabhikhi (Editor-in-Chief, 2016) reflects on the ecumenical nature of socio-legal scholarship, as reflected in the SLR archives, allowing for an examination of the law from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.

In our second editor spotlight, Praggya Surana (Editor, 2015) reflects on how a socio-legal lens challenged legal formalism, sparked interdisciplinary thinking—and made for some of her favourite college memories.

From the page to the process—after sharing author reflections for our 20th Anniversary, we now turn to the editors who helped shape SLR. First up: Sanhita Ambast, Editor (2007), now Senior Research Advisor at Amnesty International, reflecting on the value of socio-legal work.