Research
My research areas lie in the law, politics and sociology of human rights. I am particularly interested in the study of policies and laws of equality and non-discrimination in Europe and the United States, at international and local level. My approach to human rights has become increasingly interdisciplinary and comparative, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis.
I am currently working on two interrelated researches. One explores human rights in cities. In particular, I look at how human rights norms and concepts are appropriated, (re-)constructed and implemented within local human rights ordinances and policies. Cases I am investigating include civil rights departments and processes of mainstreaming of human rights across different sectors of the local government. Issues I am dealing with include the rights of migrants and women and religious freedom.
The other research aims to position cities in human rights. This research emerges from a collaborative project that investigates the use of race as a category of discrimination in Europe and makes the case for a race-conscious approach to non-discrimination. Within this project, I have investigated and theorised the incorporation of cities within the EU anti-discrimination policy. My analysis concentrates on the institutional similarity between local and supra-local institutions and the contribution that local agencies can give to the fight against racism within a multi-level, "hybrid" European governance of non-discrimination.