Starting 1 January 2016 Maartje van der Woude is appointed as full professor of Sociology of Law at Leiden University.

Are you eager to conduct policy-oriented research on issues of relevance to organisations? Do you want to combine ethnographic research with a 3-month internship? Do you have excellent analytical, organizational and communication skills? Are you flexible and hard-working? Then Sociology of Policy in…

Does the nature and extent of political communication networks, measured through the frequency and multiplexity of information exchange ties, play a critical role in the reconstitution and maintenance of the Chinese Empire?

Within the Sociology of Policy in Practice specialisation you will develop a research project on prevailing policy problems.

The research within eLaw is mainly (but not exclusively) connected to the Faculty of Law research program Effective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a Pluralist World. The central research question of this program is: What opportunities and threats flow from the existence of institutional and normative…

Philosophy of law is concerned with the the foundations of law.

On Friday 24 March, Prof. Amanda Perry-Kessaris (Kent Law School) will deliver the monthly Leiden Socio-Legal Lecture.

What is the role of local authorities and communities in shaping how inter-Schengen borders are understood and dealt with?

Legal education initiative of the Leiden University, the University of Groningen and Universitas Indonesia.

On 18 May 2011, Dr. Ben Knapen, Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation, delivered the annual Van Vollenhoven Lecture on “Rule of Law and Development”.

This master programme introduces the student to the philosophical issues on the intersection of law, politics, and policy. This master’s programme is meant for students who wish to combine an MA in Law,Political Science, Public Administration, or an adjacent discipline with an MA in Philosophy Law,…

The increase in the European Union's executive powers in the areas of economic and financial governance has thrown into sharp relief the challenges of EU law in constituting, framing, and constraining the decision-making processes and political choices that have hitherto supported European integration.…

To what extent are there differences between countries in and outside the European Union and the Schengen area in the level of crimmigration, the merger between migration control and crime control, and to what extent can these differences be explained by the way in which state and non-state actors in…

The Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology is committed to international cooperation and exchange.

The central question in this study is: ‘What can the Netherlands learn from the way in which these countries have organized law enforcement and the rule of law in their overseas territories?’

International organisations that represent collaborations between States are becoming increasingly more powerful, and they have an increasing impact on our daily lives. For example, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasburg established that minors have a right to legal aid immediately following…

Cultural anthropology development sociology, visual methods, policy in practice, global ethnography.

What role(s) do border officials play in the enforcement and management of border control and border mobilities and how do these roles relate to the personal, organisational and larger societal context within which these officials operate?

Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden University studies the everyday practices of individuals and groups around the world in relation to the complex global challenges of diversity, sustainability, and digitalisation.

On Wednesday 22 July, Professor Maartje van der Woude will hold a webinar for Nusantara University (Indonesia). Her lecture is entitled ‘Governing Through Crises: Civil Liberties Under Pressure’.

The Anthropology and Sociology network brings together researchers of LIAS and LUCSoR working from an anthropological and sociological perspective and researchers of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.

Ruling Overseas: Connected Practices of Governance of Law

Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology

Starting this academic year (2016-2017) Maartje van der Woude, Professor of Sociology of Law at the Van Vollenhoven Institute will organize the Leiden Socio-Legal Series (LSLS).

Anthropology of Law in Muslim Sudan analyses the hybridity of law systems and the plurality of legal practices in rural and urban contexts of contemporary Sudan, shedding light on the complex relation between Islam and society.

Is the legitimacy of law and governance of multilevel jurisdictions diminishing?” “What is the significance of (diminishing) legitimacy for the effectiveness of law?” These kinds of questions about the legitimacy of the supranational formation of law, its application, and the policy and governance based…

On 25 Februarry 2021 Hart Bloomsbury brings out a monograph by Frans-Willem Korsten: Arts as an Interface of Law and Justice: Affirmation, Disturbance, Disruption. Its working title was 'Annoyance' but that did not sell. A sign in itself; most struggles for justice have been considered as annoying.

We are very happy to welcome you to spend a semester or year studying with us at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology. Here you will find practical information on studying CA-DS in Leiden as an exchange student.

On 26 June 2019, Lisa Louwerse defended her thesis 'The EU’s Conceptualisation of the Rule of Law in its External Relations: Case Studies on Development Cooperation and Enlargement'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. C.A.P. Hillion.

As of today, Maartje van der Woude (Professor of Sociology of Law, Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance & Society) has become a member of the advisory board for Oxford Law’s research platform Border Criminologies.

Vulnerability and the associated levels of social resilience is what fascinates the researchers at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology. What links a Japanese fisherman after the tsunami at Fukushima with a Ghanaian goldminer in an increasingly industrialised work environment?…

The Faculty of Law has five institutes:

An international comparative study of the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Winner CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award 2016” A Cultural History

As a Faculty of Law graduate you are part of a valuable network. Discover how you can remain in contact with other alumni and the University!

Do you want to understand the complexities of today’s gender issues, social media use, food habits, social justice movements, labour relations or religious expressions? Join our international bachelor's programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology and get insight into people's social…

The Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance, and Development and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies organised the Van Vollenhoven Lecture 2013.

On 23 June 2020, Santy Kouwagam defended her PhD-thesis 'How lawyers win land conflicts for corporations: Legal Strategy and its influence on the Rule of Law in Indonesia'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. A.W. Bedner and Prof. C.E. von Benda-Beckmann.

Study Information

Viviana Massa defended her thesis on 16 December 2018.

Most people know what law is. But what it should be or where it comes from is what interests the researchers from the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of the Law. Key to their approach are topics that go right to the heart of philosophy of law. What is a state? What are the limitations of…