Our Students

Alanah Broomfield has an H.B.A in French Studies with a certification in Law and Social Thought, a M.A in Socio-Legal Studies, and is currently a doctoral student in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. She is a teaching assistant in the Social Science department and works with the Jean Augstine Chair in Diaspora, Culture and Community as a research assistant. She is committed to using legal pluralistic perspectives and neoliberalism to better understand the perpetuation of racial inequities within institutions. My previous research focused on the racial capitalism of Black male student-athletes in the United States and challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) bylaws and business and compensation model. Her current research explores the racialized impacts of surveillance at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, France and how mega events deepen racialization with new technologies such as AI.

Anjali Kumar is a first-year MA student in the program of socio-legal studies. Anjali graduated with honours from York University in 2023 with a BA in Law and Society. She has a keen interest in researching in more depth the relationship between law and society. Anjali wants to further research why and how minority youth become overly represented in the youth justice system while looking at differential treatment and federal policies. Her research interests include criminal law, minority youth violations, human rights, and much more. Through this interdisciplinary program, she aspires to research and investigate in greater detail.

Arunita Das (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in the Socio-Legal Studies program at York University. She holds an MA in Socio-Legal Studies and a BA in Sociology. Throughout her graduate studies and work experience with non-profit charitable organizations, Das has been developing research in racism, hate and extremism, colonization, and feminist criminology for over five years. Her current research examines the relationship between Canadian far-right women, online hate speech, hate crime, and free expression laws in Canada.

Beheshta Sharifi is a first-year PhD student in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. She holds her BA and MA in Law and Legal Studies from Carleton University. Her research interests are predominantly in security, sovereignty, liberalism, rationality, exception, and critical terrorism studies. In particular, her current research focuses on how ideas of citizenship for minorities relate to the ‘War on Terror’ and the proliferation of new risk management techniques. "How does the invocation of risk in the War on Terror constitute a radical re-think of how we understand and theorize security?" "What are the implications for populations that come to be designated as “risky”?" Moreover, she is interested in normative debates regarding the relationship between national security and civil liberties. Her work critically examines the specific modes of risk calculation in the War on Terror and post-9/11 politics through discourses of risk, pre-emptive targeting, and surveillance, especially where these concepts intersect with critical race traditions.

Brianna Garneau is a PhD candidate in Socio-legal Studies and holds a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. She earned her MA in Criminology from the University of Ottawa, where she studied the racial exclusionary mechanisms of citizenship and national security. Her doctoral research is focused on the symbiotic harms of detention and deportation as experienced by families in Canada and the ways these experiences are shaped by the racially embedded processes of criminalization, securitization, and punishment. Brianna has worked as a research assistant on the Deporting Refugees: Hidden Injustice in Canada project (https://romerohouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Report-on-deportation.pdf) and has co-authored the article Carceral experiences and custodial lifeworld of prisoners’ families: The impacts of ion scan technology in Canadian prisons (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26326663211005251).

Brianna can be reached at: bgarneau@yorku.ca.

Can Turgut is a Ph.D. candidate in the Socio-Legal Studies Graduate Program. His research project interrogates some of the major theories of comparative constitutional studies and public law, such as constitution-making, constitutional supremacy, rule of law, and sovereignty, in their capacity to influence modern state-making practices, neo-liberal transformations, resistance, transitional justice, self-determination, and indigeneity. He contextualizes these socio-legal concepts and theories in global North and South relations, the expansion of capitalism, neo-colonialism, and Euro-America centrism. His purpose is to expand the scope of the field of comparative constitutional studies and comparative public law by pushing their boundaries away from the binary opposition between liberalism and illiberal authoritarianism. Before joining York University Socio-Legal Studies Graduate Program, Turgut received his LLB degree from Istanbul Bilgi University, where he was part of the legal clinic team as a law student instructor. After graduating from Istanbul Bilgi University, he continued his studies in the Galatasaray University’s LL.M. program in public law. He was a visiting researcher at Institut d'études politiques de Paris (SciencesPo Paris Law School). He defended his LL.M. thesis titled ‘Comparative legal theory and the case of common law constitutionalism in early medieval Europe’ (forthcoming book in Turkish). He is a non-practicing lawyer with the Istanbul Bar Association, where he previously worked on constitutional and international human rights litigation, refugee rights, and criminal and administrative law. He is the co-chair of the Socio-Legal Studies Graduate Student Association.

Chante Barnwell is a full-time Ph.D. student in Socio-Legal Studies and a graduate teaching assistant for the Law and Society program within the Department of Social Science at York University. Her Ph.D. dissertation research will examine the intersections of visual jurisprudence, race, Canadian cultural policy, and the perception of criminality and victimization in institutionally digitalized crime media archives. She has presented her research papers at many national and international conferences and has received the 2022-2023 Nathanson Centre Graduate Student Fellowship from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Documentary Media, both from Toronto Metropolitan University. She also graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in Art and Culture, majored in Studio Visual Arts and minored in Art History. During her past graduate studies, she completed two Master Research Papers (MRPs) and a solo self-curated MFA thesis exhibition. Chante is also a multidisciplinary visual artist and has held several leadership positions contributing thousands of volunteer hours to various organizations and causes.

Chika Maduakolam is a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-legal Studies at York University. She holds an LLM degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has worked as research assistant on an international research project on gendered violence in war; and domestic project on civil justice in Canada. Her main area of research is focused on sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. She is interested in the following research areas: conflict-related sexual violence, gender issues, militarized masculinities, international law and human rights. Chika can be reached at: chika16@yorku.ca.

Cindy is an MA student in the socio-legal studies program. She holds her BA in Legal Studies and Criminology from Carleton University. Her interests include immigration and refugee law, human rights, women and children, and international humanitarian law and policy. She has worked on research projects regarding judicial decisions in the UK concerning employment, environmental, health and safety law, and institutional policy discourses on cooperatives and solidarity economies—focusing on the International Labour Organization—to better understand how they frame these alternative forms of economic organization and their roles in social and economic development. Cindy hopes to further develop her research interests within the realm of global humanitarian law regarding the role and limitations of international law in international and/or domestic politics.

Deepa Nagari is a first-year PhD student in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. She completed her MA at Carleton University in the Law and Legal Studies program and her BA at University of Toronto's Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies program. Her current research is focused on the critical examination of the laws and policies surrounding forced migration and refugees, such as the perpetual externalization of migrants, border management strategies, irregular asylum seekers, and the discourses and narratives around migration in the Canadian context.

Emily Lockhart is a PhD candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. Her research interests include teenage sexual agency, citizenship, and teenage legal consciousness. Her doctoral work focuses on the impact of social, political, and legal responses to the Rehtaeh Parsons case on the way Nova Scotian teenagers understand sexual violence.

Gloria Borlabi’s research interests are focused on gender, human rights, politics and law. She is particularly interested in the intersections of the law and politics in her work which critically examines the experiences of women in politics and the forms of violence they face.

Jackie Sultana Sikdar is a 2nd year PhD student in the Socio-Legal Studies program at York University. Her research interests revolve around exploring the intersections between race and victimization, including the differential representation of racialized gun violence victims in Toronto news media. Her current research continues to examine the politics of the victim label, with a focus on how racial identity can complicate the attainment of victim status and shape gun violence victims' experiences within the criminal justice system.

Liam Michaud is a PhD candidate in Socio-Legal studies at York University and currently holds a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Drawing on ethnographic and community-based participatory methods, his research examines the convergences between health-based and criminal-legal approaches in drug policy. He has published work on the barriers posed by the legal environment to public health and healthcare in Contemporary Drug Problems and Surveillance & Society. He works as a Research Assistant on several projects related to harm reduction, policing, experiences of overdose among people who use drugs, prison-based needle exchange, and health surveillance. Liam is supervised by Dr Eric Mykhalovskiy and can be reached at Lmichaud@yorku.ca Recent publications- https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/15784 and https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/15784

Maria Addorisio is a student in the Masters of Arts, Socio-Legal Studies program at York University, as well as a Licensed Paralegal and aspiring lawyer. She focuses her research on Indigenous legal issues and Criminal legal issues and often intertwines the two. With her continuous research in the field of criminal law, she hopes to explore different avenues of the criminal justice system, and foster new research relationships with colleagues. Previously, Maria has focused her research on the elimination of Peremptory Challenges and the subsequent effect on Indigenous populations. During her time at York she hopes to continue her research on both criminal and Indigenous legal issues and explore new legal avenues regarding Indigenous people within the criminal justice system.

Melissa Anderson (BA, BSW, MA) is a fourth-year PhD student in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. Melissa works as a research assistant on the project VULNER, which examines the concept of ‘vulnerability’ in Canadian immigration law. Her research interests span critical legal geographies, forced migration, urban sanctuary, health care access and intergovernmental jurisdiction. Her dissertation research titled ‘Re-Crafting the Jurisdiction of Urban Sanctuary: Health Care for Migrants with Precarious Status’ explores the ways in which contradictions in legal jurisdiction threaten the application of human rights to migrants with precarious status across three Canadian cities. Melissa is a past recipient of SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Graduate Scholarship (2015-2016), and a current recipient of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2017-2021). Melissa can be reached at: andersm@yorku.ca.

I am a doctoral candidate in the Socio-legal department, centering my research on the intricate dynamics of free expression and academic freedom. My primary focus is the nuanced examination of these themes within the context of Canadian higher education institutions, aiming to elucidate their profound socio-political ramifications. Furthermore, my research portfolio includes active involvement in various projects pertaining to criminal justice. Particularly, critically examining the sentencing disparities experienced by racialized communities within the Canadian criminal justice system.

Monika is a 2nd year PhD candidate working in the field of Canadian public law. Her dissertation project examines how mundane police surveillance practices enact a post-Charter Canadian privacy law framework. In so doing, she hopes to explore how law figures the abstract legal subject within its constructed materiality. Broadly speaking, she's interested to explore topics engaging governmentality, liberal constitutionalism and the rule of law, the materiality of bodies, and the senses. Her interdisciplinary socio-legal outlook engages disciplines such as social and political thought, anthropology, science and technology studies, and surveillance studies.

Natilie Richer (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at York University, who is also earning a diploma in Art History and Visual Culture. Her research-creational project unpacks the potential to decolonize overlooked sites of legal discourse, including the museum, the art gallery, and the university by challenging imperialist histories of curatorial and exhibition knowledge, as well as knowledge production more generally. Detailing her collaborative endeavour with Canadian Indigenous visual artist, Melanie de la Morandiere, Henvey Inlet, First Nation and their experimental, and exploratory engagement with arts-based practices, her project illustrates the ensuing necessity of grappling with exhibitionary spaces as comparable or directly linked to the sociolegal and the academic as well as their distinct ways of knowing. Natilie’s doctoral research is supported by the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship.

Nimrit Basra is a first-year MA student in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. She earned her BA in Honours English, Gender Sexuality Women’s Studies, and Criminology, in addition to a Certificate in Legal Studies, from Simon Fraser University. Nimrit is an interdisciplinary student and researcher dedicated to advocating for human rights and justice for marginalized communities. As such, she has a wide range of research interests, and has completed work and projects in the fields of migration and racialization, diasporic identity and community, feminist and 2SLGBTQIA+ critical thought, and BlPOC justice movements and history. Her current research provides insight into the limitations of major media sources in supporting migrant communities in building transnational solidarity with their homeland. Through the SLS MA program, she is furthering this work by uncovering how mainstream Canadian media’s portrayal of diasporic communities and their social movements shape public opinions about immigrants, and go on to impact immigration policies and laws, especially in the context of human rights. She looks forward to expanding her work on diasporic belonging and the documentation of migrant experiences. Nimrit has extensive volunteer experience in the fields of sexual and gender-based violence prevention, community outreach, peer to peer connections, grassroots organizing, environmental justice, mental health support, and feminist and 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy. She is a strong believer in the power of community care, collective justice, and radical empathy. Nimrit can be reached at nbasra@yorku.ca and is always happy to connect with others passionate about building community and solidarity.

Hello! I am Nourin, an LLB and LLM graduate from Bangladesh, Currently pursuing my MA in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. I am amazed by the research works done by the faculties here. Hopefully, I can develop my research skills as well as the theoretical understanding of the relationship between law and society.

Palmer, a fifth-year PhD student, holds BA(H) and MA degrees in criminology, and has held one Nathanson Graduate Fellowship and two Ontario Graduate Scholarships. He worked as a teaching assistant for seven years in various first, second, and third-year undergraduate crime and policing courses, and as a research assistant for one year to study Canadian municipal corporate security. For the past two years, he has worked as a research assistant on a project that explores the impact of US political institutions and policy legacies on human rights protections in the workplace. He has acquired academic research certifications in open-source tools for data analytics, including R, Python, SAS, NVivo, and SPSS. His doctoral dissertation investigates the role of the FCC in governing the Internet as revealed through the case of net neutrality.

Roberta Medina is a 1st year PhD student in Socio-Legal studies. She holds an MA in Criminal Sciences from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and a BA in Law from the same institution. Her doctoral research is focused on a comparative study between the use of drones for policing in Brasil and Canada. Her research interests span critical theory, politics, surveillance studies, policing, militarization and intersectionality. Roberta can be reached at: robmdina@yorku.ca.

Sophia Martensen (she/her) is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Socio-Legal studies program at York University. She holds an Honours Specialization in Criminology and a Major in Psychology from Western University. She obtained her Master’s in Criminology and Sociolegal studies at the University of Toronto. Her current research focuses on post-racialism, Canadian multiculturalism, and race management. Specifically, Sophia is interested in investigating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives in Canadian Universities to understand the boundaries and limits of EDI as a solution to racial inequity in institutions of higher learning in Canada.

Stephanie Giorno is a PhD candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at York University. She completed her B.A. (Hons) at York University in Law & Society, and earned her M.A. in Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research interests include intimate partner violence (IPV), criminal harassment, and the gaps in accessing victim services. The objective of her doctoral work is to gain a better understanding of the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has affected IPV, with a particular emphasis on victims from the most vulnerable sectors of our society. She aims to use her research to establish an import for policy and practice, and to generate pragmatic and actionable policy recommendations.

Stephanie Saliba is a first-year Master's student in Socio-Legal Studies. She holds her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research interests are how restorative justice principles are applied through Extrajudicial Measures and Extrajudicial Sanctions Programs, with a particular emphasis on how the circumstances of racialized immigrant youth are taken into account. Her interdisciplinary socio-legal approach incorporates criminology, philosophy, and politics.