Research areas
Gurchathen S. Sanghera joined the School of International Relations as a Lecturer in 2007 and was, eventually, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2017, before becoming Professor in 2023.
He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2026 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (since 2020). He serves on the Editorial Board (Childhood & Youth Studies section) of Social Sciences.
Currently, he is a member of the University’s Centre for the Critical Reimagining of Human Rights, the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Peer Review College, and the Academic Adviser Panel at the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission.
Previously, he was co-Deputy Director of the Minorities Research Centre at the University, Associate Director of the ESRC Scottish Graduate School for Social Sciences (2017–2020), and Pro Dean of Arts and Divinity (Undergraduate) at the University (2012–2014).
He holds a BA (Hons) and a PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford.
Gurchathen’s research explores the complexities of social justice and, in particular, the discursive and material reproduction of marginalisation and exclusion globally, nationally and locally.
More specifically, his research is concerned with examining the ways in which various forms of discrimination intersect (for example caste, class, gender, geographical, sexual, religious) to shape people’s everyday lives and how, in turn, people respond to such processes. This work draws on empirical research and is also informed by theoretical debates.
Gurchathen’s research explores the complexities of social justice and, in particular, the discursive and material reproduction of marginalisation and exclusion globally, nationally and locally.
His research falls within the following four themes:
- Critical approaches to human rights:
- Social constructionism
- Postcolonialism
- 'Politics' of human rights
- Children’s rights
- Child labour in India:
- Causes (caste, class, gender, religion) and implications
- State-subaltern relations and structural violence
- Political-economy of India and elite-led development
- Human rights in India
- Neoliberal globalisation and India
- Resistance
- The politics of race and ethnicity in the UK:
- Social capital and social mobility
- Islamophobia and racism
- Gender experiences and responses
- Social and political identities
- Resistance and resilience
- Covid-19 and its racialised impacts
- Qualitative research:Ìý
- Positionality and intersectionality
- Gatekeepers
- Researching marginalised groups
- Auto/biography
Selected publications
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Open access
Sanghera, G., 13 Oct 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Mortality. Latest Articles, p. 1-18 18 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Sanghera, G. S., 1 Feb 2021, In: Journal of International Political Theory. 17, 1, p. 9-10 2 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Botterill, K., Hopkins, P. & Sanghera, G., 2020, In: Geopolitics. 25, 5, p. 1138-1163 26 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Botterill, K., Hopkins, P. & Sanghera, G. S., 4 May 2019, In: Social and Cultural Geography. 20, 4, p. 465-484 20 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Sanghera, G. S., 2018, International Human Rights. International Children's Rights.. Liefaard, T. & Kilkelly, U. (eds.). Springer
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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Open access
Sanghera, G. S., Botterill, K., Hopkins, P. & Arshad, R., Jun 2018, In: Citizenship Studies. 22, 5, p. 540-555
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Hopkins, P., Botterill, K. & Sanghera, G. S., 2018, In: Geography. 103, Part 2, p. 86-92
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Beech, P. N. H., Cornelius, N., Gordon, L. J., Healy, G., Ogbonna, E., Sanghera, G. S., Umeh, C. & Woodman, P., 19 Jul 2017, London: British Academy of Management and Chartered Management Institute.
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
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Open access
Hopkins, P., Botterill, K., Sanghera, G. & Arshad, R., 2017, In: Annals of the American Association of Geographers. 107, 4, p. 934-948
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Arshad, R., Botterill, K., Hopkins, P. & Sanghera, G., 1 Jun 2017, In: Race Equality Teaching. 34, 2, p. 5-9 5 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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