Professor Adrian Gallagher delivers sixth Faculty Inaugural Lecture

The Faculty was delighted to host Professor Gallagher’s lecture in celebration of his impressive research career.

On Wednesday 19 February 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences continued its Faculty Inaugural Lecture Series for the 2024-25 academic year. The lectures in this series are delivered by academic colleagues who have been promoted to or appointed at the rank of Professor in the Faculty since January 2020.

The fourth lecture in the series was given by the School of Politics and International Studies’ Professor Adrian Gallagher.

A full lecture theatre attends Professor Gallagher's lecture.

Professor Gallagher is a Professor in Global Security and Mass Atrocity Prevention.

His research focuses on mass atrocity prevention (genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes) under the Responsibility to Protect. He works at the interface of International Relations Theory, Security Studies, and Genocide Studies. He is currently writing a monograph on mass atrocity prevention in the Central African Republic.

Audience applause at Professor Gallagher's lecture.

Professor Gallagher’s inaugural lecture was titled Genocide, ‘The Great Irresponsibles and the Grand Illusion of Humanity?’.

The lecture explored the current global picture of atrocity prevention in its consideration of how genocide threatens international order. This saw Professor Gallagher reflecting on his PhD thesis which also asked this same research question of the threat to international order posed by genocide. 

Professor Gallagher answering audience questions.

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session, and finally by a drinks reception.

Professor Gallagher with colleagues at the reception after his lecture.

The sixth Faculty of Social Sciences Inaugural Lecture will be delivered by the School of Sociology and Social Policy’s Professor Mark Davis on Thursday 13 March in William Bragg LT (2.37) at 17:00. As with all events in this series, the lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. Please find further details and register your attendance through this link.

If you are not a colleague or postgraduate researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences and would like to be added to the mailing list for the series, please email Dr Izzy Jenkinson (Faculty Events Coordinator) at I.K.S.Jenkinson@leeds.ac.uk.