Personal profile
Research interests
Human rights, law and humanities, legal empowerment, peacebuilding, resistance studies, transitional justice
Biography
Before joining Northumbria, Lars Waldorf taught law at Essex, Dundee, York, and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. He has worked mostly on accountability and empowerment in Rwanda and then Sri Lanka. In an earlier life, he was a poverty and civil rights lawyer in the US.
Lars has been Principal Investigator on two AHRC-funded grants -- "Performing Empowerment" and "Performing/Informing Rights" -- that helped empower people with conflict-related disabilities in Sri Lanka and Nepal through a combination of inclusive dance and rights education. He is also a member of the AHRC Peer Review College.
His current research and impact work brings together art, law, and resistance studies in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's 2022 occupy movement. As part of that, he is co-curating "Artful Struggles 2024: Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka" with Dr Nilanjana Premaratna for GemArts at the Gateshead Central Library in June and July 2024.
Education/Academic qualification
Law, PhD, The National University of Ireland Galway
Award Date: 16 Jan 2014
Law, Harvard University
Award Date: 1 Jun 1989
Government, BA, Harvard University
Award Date: 1 Jun 1985
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
Affective Justice for an Ineffective Transition: Visceral, Vicarious Responsibility in Paangshu and Demons in Paradise
Waldorf, L. & Premaratna, N., 3 Nov 2025, Contemporary Sri Lankan Literature and Art: The Creation of a New Community in the Aftermath of War. Horlacher, S. & Meegaswatta, T. (eds.). 1st ed. London: Routledge, p. 89-113 25 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
-
Artful Struggles: Art in the Aftermath of the Aragalaya-Porattam
Waldorf, L. & Premaratna, N., 3 Nov 2025, Contemporary Sri Lankan Literature and Art: The Creation of a New Community in the Aftermath of War. Horlacher, S. & Meegaswatta, T. (eds.). 1st ed. London: Routledge, p. 183–190 8 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
-
Resistance to illiberal peacebuilding: towards a new research agenda
Olivius, E., Waldorf, L., Åkebo, M. & Premaratna, N., 28 Aug 2025, In: Conflict, Security and Development. 25, 4, p. 433-459 27 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
‘This coconut was the one that finally worked’: cursing for peace and justice in Sri Lanka
Waldorf, L. & Premaratna, N., 3 Apr 2025, In: Peacebuilding. 13, 2, p. 209-229 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)120 Downloads (Pure) -
Performing/Informing Rights: Mixing Inclusive Dance and Human Rights Education for Disabled People in Sri Lanka and Nepal
Waldorf, L., Marambio, H. U. & Blades, H., 30 Jan 2024, In: Journal of Human Rights Practice. 15, 3, p. 748-762 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)6 Downloads (Pure)