Research
I am a philosopher and social theorist by training. I work on social philosophy, philosophy of law and ethics. I study questions such as 'what distinguishes right from wrong?' 'what makes humans free or oppressed?' and 'who has authority to govern over me and my choices?'
I am particularly interested in issue related to marginalised groups, children's rights and questions on social justice more generally.
Childhood and Children's Rights
I look at the status of children in our political and social world. I explore issues relating to the definitions of 'childhood', the categorisation of children, the distinction between adults and children. I also look at issues relating to the applicability of theories of justice to children. Do standard political theories apply to children? How do our discourses on freedom apply to children? Or what rights are owed to children?
A core aspect of my current research is the analysis of the impact of international human and children's rights frameworks on children and childhood(s) in the majority world. I utilise critical approaches to legal research (e.g., TWAIL, decolonial theory) to explore thorny children's rights issues (child labour, children in street situations, children involved in armed conflict).
My open-access book Childhood in Liberal Theory provides a comprehensive critical analysis of contemporary childhood and children's rights philosophical research.
Education and Pedagogical Theory
I've looked at the topic of education from a variety of theoretical perspectives. I've explored issue related to educational justice, education equality and distribution of educational goods. I've looked at the content of the right to education, and carried out various studies on pedagogical theory, and the creation of pedagogical tools. I tend to rely on the Capabilities Approach as a theoretical method to study issues of education and social justice.
My article with Caroline Hart analyses children's rights to education from the perspective of the Capabilities Approach see here
The Capabilities Approach and Global Justice
What makes humans flourish? What is the best metric to assess well-being and human development? I'm interested in looking at questions of justice from a capability perspective; at how the capabilities approach speaks to issues of inequality, poverty, development, education and childhood.
See my work on the relationship between freedom and protection of children from a capabilities perspectives here
A great part of my research on justice has focused on its global dimension. That is, I've asked questions about what is owed as a matter of justice beyond the nation-state, questions related to international law, international relations, and the distribution of goods the global level, with a particular interest in commons and public goods.
Research grants
Community Implementation of Children’s Rights Policy in the Rural Nepal Context
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
July 2026 - July 2027
Childhood at the Margins: A Normative Analysis of Children's Status as Right Holders
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
July 2021 - May 2022