Biography
Francesca is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and non-stipendiary Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College. She holds a PhD in Law (Socio-Legal Theory) from the London School of Economics, where she was the recipient of the ESRC – Rena Field Scholarship. Prior to her doctoral studies, she completed the MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society at the LSE. She also holds a Laurea Magistrale in Giurisprudenza (integrated LLB/MA Law degree) from Bocconi University, Milan.
Francesca’s current research investigates the phenomenon of ‘pseudolaw’ in the UK, examining how critical groups mobilise unorthodox interpretations of legal texts and ideas as a way of challenging state authority.
Her broader interests lie in legal authority, legitimacy, and contestation; the social life of legal ideas; and the interaction between law, regulation, and digital cultures. She is particularly interested in how people engage with law outside formal legal institutions, and the implications of different forms of engagement for regulation and the rule of law.
Research Interests