The Nathanson Centre supports rigorous, timely research into various dimensions of human rights, crime and security. Within those broad categories, Centre scholars conduct theoretical and practical research exploring a diverse range of issues.
In the realm of human rights, our associates and fellows investigate everything from racism and religious persecution to basic rights such as freedom of movement and access to clean water and health care. Similarly, under the rubric of crime and security, we support in-depth examinations of issues such as human trafficking, political corruption, organized crime, environmental law violations — and much more.
Work supported by the Nathanson Centre is transnational in scope and potential impact. Individual scholars may focus on a particular country or region — studying, for example, judicial reform in Nigeria or the migration of Syrian refugees to Europe. Some scholars focus exclusively on Canada and even target specific regions as they consider, say, legal questions around the rights of Indigenous peoples. But we strive to ensure that all Centre-sponsored studies are relevant beyond the jurisdictions where their authors gather evidence and analyze processes or behaviours. And we encourage our researchers to make that relevance explicit in their conclusions, in their collaborations with other Centre scholars and in the insights they share with a wider audience through our events, publications and other channels.
The Centre’s research landscape: a quick tour
The wide range of issues explored by Nathanson Centre scholars is reflected in this sampling of studies and initiatives undertaken in recent years:
Transnational human rights
- independent experts’ reports on human rights to the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council
- seminar series on the role of law in emancipatory struggles
- book presenting the views of diverse commentators on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- studies of international accountability and the impact of capital investment on actions to improve human rights in Africa
- webinar on threats to the rights of the Uyghur ethnic minority in China
- book-length critique of international law from a Palestinian perspective
- research network examining Canada’s human rights role in sub-Saharan Africa
Equity and social justice
- conference presentations on racial equity in corporate governance
- study of expert testimony and trial efficiency in criminal and child protection cases
- op-ed articles on the eviction of people living in urban tented encampments
- international workshop on forced labour and modern slavery
Indigenous issues
- major conference on Indigenous peoples and colonial genocide
- seminar on legal strategies for representing Indigenous peoples before international bodies
- in-depth study of international and transnational remedies for indigenous genocide
Migration and refugees
- symposium on forced migration, international crimes and human rights
- studies of asylum and terrorism in the context of transnational and international law
- examination of Syrian refugees and statelessness in public international law
- interdisciplinary project on migration and precarious work — bringing together students and faculty from across Osgoode and various York University departments
- handbook on the legal dimensions of non-refoulement (i.e., not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to countries where they may face persecution)
- extensive study of the rights of refugees after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
Transnational crime and corruption
- research project on the relationship between the accounting profession and global fraud, money laundering and corruption
- study of the political aspects of anti-bribery compliance in the UK
- article on corruption in the Canadian defence industry
- handbook on organized crime and the interweaving of legitimate and illegitimate enterprises
- workshop on international money laundering and criminal law reform
- study of the obstacles to addressing crimes of powerful individuals
- examination of the transnational governance of corruption in a global political context
Responding to crises
- symposium on reimagining transnational equality and security in a post-pandemic world
- book project on applying the lessons of COVID-19 to prepare for the next pandemic
- research on the criminalization of environmental activism – including Extinction Rebellion and other climate justice movements, as well as Indigenous activism
- examination of issues around emergency law during the pandemic and going forward
Current Research Associates
The Nathanson Centre’s Research Associates include faculty members from Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as from the wider York University community — notably the departments of Criminology, Sociology, Philosophy, and Law and Society. The Centre’s work also benefits from the contributions of leading academics and jurists from other organizations and institutions around the world.
Research Associates from Osgoode Hall Law School & York University
Assistant Professor of Law
Research areas: copyright law, international environmental law, international humanitarian law and politics, law and disaster risk management
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Research areas: gender and development, globalization, human rights, international political economy, postcolonial and transnational feminisms, postcoloniality and discourses of women's rights and empowerment, women's rights
Associate Professor of Law
Research areas: administrative law, constitutional law, legal education
Associate Professor of Law
Research areas: immigration law, Indian and Aboriginal law, Indigenous
Assistant Professor of Law
Research areas: comparative and foreign law, criminal law, human rights law
Associate Professor of Law & Society; Graduate Faculty, Osgoode
Research areas: critical humanitarianism, gender issues, human rights, social science
Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration
Research areas: forced migration, international human rights law, international humanitarian law, international refugee law, law and justice, public administration
Associate Professor of Political Science, School of Public Policy and Administration
Research areas: forced migration, Global South, human rights, immigration, international criminal law, Middle East, political science, political theory, public international law, public law
Professor of Law; Executive Director, Nathanson Centre
Research areas: corporate law, international law
Associate Professor of Law; Nathanson Centre Executive Committee member
Research areas: artificial intelligence, labour and employment law
Associate Professor of Law
Research areas: comparative and foreign law, estates and trusts
Associate Professor of Law; Director, IP Osgoode
Research areas: intellectual property law
Associate Professor of Philosophy; Graduate Faculty, Osgoode
Research areas: law and justice, moral philosophy, philosophy of law, political philosophy
Associate Professor of Political Science, Glendon
Research areas: corruption, global governance, international law, international organizations, international relations, transnational crime
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Glendon
Research areas: legal and moral philosophy, political
Professor of Law; York Research Chair in Pluralism and Public Law
Research areas: constitutional law, criminal law, evidence
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Research areas: ethics, feminist philosophy, philosophy, philosophy of gender and sexuality, philosophy of law, social and political philosophy
Assistant Professor, School of Administrative Studies, LA&PS
Research areas: accounting, governance
Assistant Professor of Law
Research areas: criminal law, international humanitarian law, international law
Professor of Law; York Research Chair in International and Transnational Legal Studies
Research areas: human rights law, immigration law, international law
Assistant Professor of Law; Nathanson Centre Executive Committee member
Research areas: criminal law, evidence, legal ethics and professional responsibility
Associate Professor, School of Administrative Studies, LA&PS
Research areas: accounting, emerging economies, LATAM, management, management planning and control systems, performance management
Associate Professor of Law
Research areas: disability law, human rights law, international law
Associate Dean (Academic), Professor of Law
Research areas: constitutional law, public law and legal theory, transnational law
Professor of Criminology
Research areas: crime, policy, social science and criminology
Associate Professor of Law
Research areas: constitutional law, criminal law, international law
Professor of Law
Research areas: administrative law, inquiries and investigations, international investment law and arbitration
Professor, School of Administrative Studies, LA&PS
Research areas: accounting, adoption of contemporary management accounting practices, corporate governance practices in developing countries, financial and monetary systems, management control systems
Research Associates from other organizations and institutions
Queen’s University
Lincoln Alexander School of Law
Queen’s University