Join the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies as they host Julian Go, Professor Sociology at the University of Chicago, for a series of fantastic events.

About Julian Go

Julian Go is Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. Go is an internationally leading scholar of the sociology of empires and colonialism, postcolonial/decolonial thought and social theory, and global historical sociology. He is the recipient of several scholarly prizes, including the Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting in Sociology, awarded by the American Sociological Association.

PGR Masterclass: Postcolonial thought and Research Methodologies 

Join the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (CCJS) for a wide-ranging exploration of postcolonial perspectives and approaches to research with a leading thinker in historical sociology and social theory.
Date: 7 May 2024
Time: 11am – 1pm 
Location: 1.11, The Liberty Building
RSVP: Via this form

About the event: This session will explore the intersection between postcolonial thought and practical approaches to research. Straddling theory and methodology, it aims to address how to enact postcolonial thought in the context of specific research practices. The session will be led by Julian Go, who is a leading scholar of postcolonial/decolonial thought and associated questions of social theory, epistemology and knowledge. The event will feature a short talk by Go, reflecting on how to work across postcolonial social thought and the practice of social research. Thereafter, the session will be devoted to an open discussion of these issues from the perspective of participants and their specific research projects. Lunch will be provided for all participants.

This session is designed primarily for postgraduate researchers interested in exploring postcolonial perspectives in the context of their research projects. If you are not a postgraduate researcher but you feel that you would benefit from participating in the event, then please contact David Churchill (d.churchill@leeds.ac.uk) in the first instance.

CCJS Annual Lecture

Join CCJS for a fascinating discussion of the colonial roots of police militarization and its implication for policing today.

Title: ‘Policing Empires: Militarization, Race, and the Imperial Boomerang in Britain and the US’
Date: 7 May 2024
Time: 5pm – 6.30pm
Location: LG.06, The Liberty Building
RSVP: Via this form

About the event: This lecture, drawing upon Go’s recently published book, Policing Empires (Oxford University Press), offers a postcolonial historical sociology of police militarization in Britain and the United States. It tracks when, why, and how British and US police departments have adopted military tactics, tools, and technologies for domestic use since the founding of modern policing in the nineteenth century into the present. It shows that militarization is an effect of the ‘imperial boomerang’. Police have brought imperial practices home in response to perceived racialized threats from minority and immigrant populations.

The lecture will be followed by Q&A and an opportunity for discussion. Thereafter, attendees are invited to join for a small wine reception.

Discussion: Imperial Logics, Policing, and Social Justice

Date: 8 May 2024
Time: 10am – 11.30am
Location: G.32, The Liberty Building
RSVP: Via this form

About the event: This session will explore imperial logics and dynamics in contemporary policing and associated questions of social justice. The session will give participants the opportunity to consider further the insights from Julian Go’s CCJS Annual Lecture  and to explore its implications for conceptualising alternative futures for policing. Following brief opening remarks from Go, recapitulating the key themes of his Lecture, the session will be devoted to an open discussion of the issues raised and reflections from colleagues with diverse connecting research interests. Refreshments will be provided for all participants.