Who is Global Justice Perspectives?

We are a student-run blog from the Centre of Conflict, Rights and Justice (CCRJ) at SOAS University of London. We aim to be an inclusive space, created for those with a passion for writing, no matter their prior experience. 

Our posts will delve into global issues, providing thought-provoking discussions and analysis to our readers. 

CCRJ used to have a blog called (Re)Imagining Peace and Justice (found in our archive section). This year, we unfortunately lost access to that blog, so we have decided to re-launch under this new name and website!

Eleanor Austin (she/her)

Last year I graduated from the University of York with a B.A. in Politics with International Relations (with a year in industry), and I am currently studying MSc Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice at SOAS. I have previously volunteered as a UCAS mentor for Student Action for Refugees, a TEFL mentor for refugees and asylum seekers in York, and a peer mentor for Project SEARCH. I also have previous experience as a Contributor and Director of Journals for York Global Affairs, a student-run international news journal.

Throughout my studies and volunteer roles, I have developed a passion for researching human rights, migration, post-conflict states, and transitional justice mechanisms. I have a particular interest in Latin American politics, with my niche focusing on the Colombian Peace Process. I am interested in how the universalised theory of transitional justice has affected the implementation and results of this process and whether new ideas, such as ‘Green Transitional Justice’ should be prioritised.

I hope that Global Justice Perspectives can provide unique perspectives on both emerging and pre-existing global issues, and advocate for under-represented groups in our publications. I’m excited to see how this blog develops from the ground up!

Augusta Belle Rentenbach (she/her)

Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, I completed undergraduate studies at the Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, I obtained my B.A. in Global and International Studies, a B.A. in History, and a minor in French. I am currently working towards my MSc in the Politics of Conflict, Rights, and Justice at SOAS, as well as a Counterterrorism Graduate Certificate from Penn State’s World Campus.

Before joining SOAS, I was a teacher through the Teach For America program, where I aimed to create a more equitable education system. My teaching experience led to my passion for helping marginalized children around the globe. My particular area of interest surrounds children's rights to education, especially in conflict zones. I have examined topics around barriers to education for adolescent girls, how education can be a tool to combat gender-based violence, education as a preventative measure in terms of children being recruited into armed groups and protection of the right to education for refugee children.

As a member of the Global Justice Perspectives blog, I hope our contributors' unique experiences and views allow for greater change in the world and inspire others to do the same.

Amy Sharrocks (she/her)

I am a cis White middle-class able-bodied woman, mother to three children, one of whom is Autistic.

My work centres collective, activist art-making practices, questioning systems of governance, equity and social justice. My practice spans live & sonic art, photography, film, sculpture, drawing, text, walking & falling. I have spent decades making artworks with people and Water, noticing the ways this extraordinary substance seeps through our bones and our systems, trying to learn with Water. 

My artworks hang in national collections, the 10 year collaboration Museum of Water was shortlisted in 2016 for European Museum of the Year and wherever you are, you can listen to the binaural sonic artwork WATER SWALLOWS, and Enduring Sounds, a conversation with Thames River. 

After witnessing multiple exclusionary institutional practices, in 2023 I began an MSc in the Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice at SOAS in search of words and stamina. I have gone back to school to learn better how to recognise and challenge colonial systems, to be a better collaborator to my friends and a more decent human being. Educated and socialised in Britain, I work to excavate hidden inequities in our systems, to understand the ways I embody them and to daylight possibilities for repair. 

Armaan Verma (he/him)

I am a postgraduate student pursuing the MSc in Politics of Conflict, Rights, and Justice. I am interested in peacebuilding, particularly non-Western approaches to peacebuilding, and the ways in which conflict unravels and alters social relations of communities affected by it. I also have a particular interest in memory and collective remembrances of war.

My regions of interest are South Asia, where I come from, and Latin America. Of particular regional interest to me is Afghanistan, a country transformed to the point of being unrecognisable by forty years of unending conflict. My other interests include bouldering and creative writing, and I am curious to explore the intersection between war, peace, and art, and the kinds of creative production that takes place in contexts that experience conflict.

I look forward to editing some great pieces for the blog, and am excited to read and write on topics of human rights and justice, which are areas I have not studied before but am eager to expand my knowledge of.