Roles and Background

I am an Assistant Professor in Sociology. I completed my PhD at Warwick in 2016 and the primary focus of my work is around re-narrating the histories of international institutions in order to understand the significance of colonialism in their formation. More broadly, I am interested in Historical Sociology; Critical International Relations theory; Postcolonial theory; human rights; development; and race and ethnicity. My work also makes use of archival materials.

Prior to my PhD, I completed a BA (Hons) in Sociology with a Specialism in Research Methods and an MA in Social Research.

Teaching and Administrative Roles

In 2024/25, I am on an Academic Returners Fellowship so will not be teaching.

Research

(2022) Selective Responsibility in the United Nations: Colonial Questions and Critical Inquiry, Rowman and Littlefield.

PhD Thesis: 'Selective Responsibility: History, Power and Politics in the United Nations'

My doctoral research explored the role of the notion of 'responsibility' within United Nations policies on intervention. Using archival material and a methodological approach from historical sociology, this research looks at the mechanisms that allow for the selective enforcement of current United Nations policies with regards to military intervention. I argue that from the outset, the United Nations as an institution was grounded in unequal colonial power relations and that these unequal relationships are legitimated through the idea of responsibility, allowing for neocolonialism in contemporary contexts. The project aims to re-narrate the history of the United Nations in order to emphasise these colonial origins and to provide an account of the long tradition of anti-colonial resistance to international institutions.

Supervisors: Gurminder K. Bhambra and Goldie Osuri

Funding: Economic and Social Research Council (via the Warwick Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre)

Dr Katy Harsant

D0.13 Department of Sociology

Email: K.harsant.1@warwick.ac.uk