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The Nathanson Centre fosters cross-disciplinary research into issues of human rights, crime and security, bringing together diverse perspectives and insights around a common goal: addressing inequality.

Spotlight

Fighting the Backlog: How are Ontario’s Courts Using Summary Processes to Address Civil Justice Delays? Suzanne Chiodo

Timely access to civil justice is at a crisis point in Canada: cases take too long while costs can be disproportionate to the matters at stake. This situation is so serious that Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), calls it “the access to justice crisis”. Meanwhile, initiatives such as […]

Congratulations to Nathanson visiting fellow Inbar Peled (PhD, law) recipient of the 2024 Thesis and Dissertation Prize by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Through her project “Professionalizing Discrimination:  Legal Actors and the Struggle Against Racialized Policing in Multicultural Societies”, Peled examines the role of lawyers in perpetuating racialized police violence in multicultural societies. While much of the work on racialized police killing and police violence focuses on the police themselves, the role of lawyers in enabling these incidents […]

"Exploring LGBTQ+ equality in India: A comprehensive examination from anthropological and legal perspectives"

This article delves into the multifaceted dimensions of LGBTQ+ rights in India, drawing insights from both anthropological research and legal analysis. It offers a nuanced understanding of the challenges and progress towards equality in the Indian context. Read More

Canada is falling behind on curbing corporate abuses

Globe and Mail. Barnali Choudhury is a professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School and director of the Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime & Security. In recent weeks, the international community has been involved in a flurry of activity in shaping corporate responsibility for sustainability. For example, at the United Nations Forum […]

Call for applications – Visiting Fellows

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How to apply

The application process for Nathanson Centre Graduate Fellowships is detailed in a call for applications that we issue each year — typically in early August. You can download the most recent call for applications by clicking the button below.

Events

October

21

“MINING, SACRIFICE ZONES, AND THE CLIMATE TRANSITION” A book talk by award-winning journalist Christopher Pollon, author of Pitfall

In this wide-ranging talk, the author connects his own family history of mining in northern Ontario to the migrations of poor migrants into mining zones across the global south. This includes artisanal miners, numbering at least 40 million people world-wide, who rely on scraping a living from small-scale mining for gold, diamonds, and so-called “battery […]

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October

16

Corporations and Climate Change: Where Does Canadian Law Stand? With Professor Hassan M. Ahmad

Climate change is a reality and increasingly becoming an existential threat.  Canadian corporations that emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases have thus far borne little, if any, accountability for their climate impacts. This presentation will share the findings of a report authored by Professor Hassan M. Ahmad as part of a comparative project spearheaded by […]

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October

10

Or Emet lecture “WILL AMERICA’S PRESIDENT BE A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT?” Professor Harold Hongju Koh, Yale Law School

Based on Professor Koh’s forthcoming book, The National Security Constitution in the Twenty-First Century “Few people understand the complex workings of our National Security Constitution better than Harold Hongju Koh, and no one analyzes and explains them better. In this outstanding scholarly achievement, Professor Koh describes the growing dysfunction caused by institutional failures in all three branches of our federal government, and recommends a badly needed, workable strategy for constitutional repair.” — Chris Coons, U.S. senator from Delaware.

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Connect

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Graduate
students

If you’re a Master’s or doctoral student at York University conducting research related to the Nathanson Centre’s purpose, you may be eligible for a fellowship.

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Research
associates

The Nathanson Centre welcomes visiting and postdoctoral fellows from around the world, supporting timely, relevant research in our areas of focus.

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Research
partners

We partner with other research centres, academic institutions, governments and a range of organizations on collaborative studies, conferences and other initiatives.

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Professional
community

If you work in law, business or the media and are seeking insights on issues of human rights, crime and security, we’ll connect you with a Nathanson Centre expert.