Chandra Lekha Sriram (1971–2018) was Professor of Law at the University of London,
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...
(SOAS). She has written and lectured widely on
conflict prevention
Conflict may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton
* ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne
* ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...
, post-conflict peacebuilding,
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
,
international criminal law, and
transitional justice. Her most recent
monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
, ''Peace as governance: Power-sharing, armed groups, and contemporary peace negotiations'' (2008), offered a comparative critical examination of the use of
power-sharing
Power sharing is a practice in conflict resolution where multiple groups distribute political, military, or economic power among themselves according to agreed rules. It can refer to any formal framework or informal pact that regulates the distri ...
incentives in
peace processes
A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict.
Definitions
Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...
in Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan. Previous monographs on transitional justice and international criminal accountability, ''Confronting past human rights violations: Justice versus peace in times of transition'' (2004) and ''Globalizing Justice for mass atrocities: A revolution in accountability'' (2005); (reviewed in
Human Rights Quarterly
''Human Rights Quarterly'' (''HRQ'') is a quarterly academic journal founded by Richard Pierre Claude in 1982 covering human rights. The journal is intended for scholars and policymakers and follows recent developments from both governments and non ...
) examined transitional justice and internationalized and externalized
criminal justice processes in or for Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, El Salvador, Honduras, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Argentina.
Book credits
Professor Sriram has co-edited or co-authored numerous books on human rights and
armed conflict
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...
, including
* ''War, Conflict, and Human Rights: Theory and practice'' (2009, with
Olga Martin-Ortega and
Johanna Herman) reviewed in
Perspectives on Terrorism
''Perspectives on Terrorism'' (PT) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed, open-access online academic journal, covering political violence, terrorism and counter-terrorism, It is published jointly by the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at the Ca ...
and in
Human Rights Quarterly
''Human Rights Quarterly'' (''HRQ'') is a quarterly academic journal founded by Richard Pierre Claude in 1982 covering human rights. The journal is intended for scholars and policymakers and follows recent developments from both governments and non ...
.
*Her co-edited volume ''Peace versus justice? The dilemma of power-sharing in Africa'' (2009/2010, with
Suren Pillay) won a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title award in 2011.
*She co-edited ''International Law and International Relations: Bridging Theory and Practice'' (with
Thomas Biersteker,
Peter Spiro
Peter John Spiro (born 1961) is an American legal scholar whose specialities include international law and U.S. constitutional law. He is a leading expert on dual citizenship. Formerly the Rusk Professor of International Law at the University of ...
, and
Veronica Raffo, 2006)
* ''Surviving field research: Working in violent and difficult situations'' (with
John C. King,
Julie A. Mertus, Olga Martin-Ortega, and Johanna Herman, 2009).
* ''Managing armed conflicts in the 21st Century'' (with
Adekeye Adebajo, 2001)
* ''From promise to practice: Strengthening UN capacities for the prevention of violent conflict'' (with
Karin Wermester, 2003)
* ''Exploring subregional conflict: Opportunities for conflict prevention'' (with
Zoe Nielsen, 2004)
University of East London School of Law
Professor Sriram was professor of human rights at the
University of East London School of Law
The School of Law and Social Sciences is one of eight academic schools at the University of East London in East London, England. The School teaches six undergraduate courses, ten postgraduate courses, and houses the Centre on Human Rights in C ...
from 2005–2010, where she founded and directed the
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict, an interdisciplinary research centre devoted to work on the intersection between human rights and conflict prevention, resolution, and peacebuilding. As director of the Centre, she was principal investigator on several larger research grants, including, a large research grant from the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
, on Rule of law in African countries emerging from violent conflict: Critical issues and cases (2007–2009), which produced the edited volume ''Peacebuilding and Rule of Law in Africa: Just peace?'' (with Olga Martin-Ortega and Johanna Herman, 2010) European Union Framework VII project on ''Just and Durable Peace by Piece'' (led by
University of Lund, 2008–2011), and a grant from the
United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American Federal government of the United States, federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individual ...
(with the
Norwegian Human Rights Centre, 2010–2012) on Transitional Justice as Peacebuilding.
United Nations Development Programme
Professor Sriram has consulted for the
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
,
Crisis Management International,
Human Rights Internet
Human Rights Internet (HRI) is a non-governmental organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, supporting the exchange of information within the worldwide human rights community.
It was co-founded by the political scientist Laurie S. Wiseber ...
, the
Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), otherwise known as the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, works to prevent and resolve armed conflicts around the world through mediation and discreet diplomacy.
A non-profit organisation bas ...
, and other organizations. She was team leader of a team that produced, for the United Nations Development Programme, a guidance note on governance and conflict prevention and early recovery, and is on the UNDP experts' roster as a human rights expert. From 2008-2010 she was chair of the Human Rights section of the
International Studies Association.
International Peace Institute
Professor Sriram directed the conflict prevention project at the International Peace Academy (now the
International Peace Institute, a think tank which works primarily with the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
) from 2000-2003, holding numerous conferences, workshops, and seminars with
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
member state representatives, and key departments, funds and agencies of the United Nations, academics, and representatives of
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
s. From 2003-2005, she was a lecturer in the School of International Relations at the
University of St. Andrews, after which she was a visiting associate professor in 2005 at the
University of Maryland School of Law.
"Exporting Torture: US Rendition and European Outrage"
. Chandra Lekha Sriram. December 13, 2005. Jurist.law.pitt.edu
References
{{Authority control
Academics of University College London