Harriet Hoffler

Harriet Hoffler

Department of Theology and Religion
Honorary Fellow, Edward Cadbury Centre
Programme Director, Wilton Park

Contact details

For over a decade, I have worked as a researcher examining religious minorities and freedom of religion and belief, acting as a consultant for NGOs, Research Institutes, Academic Institutions and Governmental bodies. I have provided legal advice and high impact research outputs to the Equality and Human Rights Commission and ODI and have extensive international and national experience bridging the gap between academia and policy across a number of different disciplines.

Qualifications

  • LLB (Hons)  University of Birmingham
  • LLM International Human Rights

Biography

I have an extensive background in multi-disciplinary human rights research- both field based and desk based. I have most recently worked as Lead Research Fellow at the University of Roehampton on the Is Britain Fairer review and the Human Rights Measurement Framework for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Previously I have worked as a Research Consultant to the Overseas Development Institute examining land governance and rights based approaches for DFID, the University of Roehampton, and the Humanitarian Department at Oxfam GB, where my work was used to inform protection and livelihood field surveys in Jordan and Lebanon. I have held the appointment of researcher on a global European Commission FP7 project with a particular emphasis on the application of international and regional human rights laws for religious minorities in South Asia and Europe.

In addition, I have held the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor in International Law & Politics at the Richmond American University in London, Visiting Lecturer in International Human Rights Law at the University of Roehampton and Brunel University teaching both undergraduates and postgraduates. I have been an invited lecturer in Nepal, Italy and London to teach on international human rights summer schools.

I have co-authored publications relating to human rights, indigenous and minority rights, in journals such as the "Journal of Global Ethics" and the "European Yearbook on Minority Issues" with numerous credits in other books and articles in this field.

Research

My research concerns the "bottom-up" approach to the human rights legal framework framed within religious minorities  and the freedom of religious belief in Pakistan. My research specifically engages with current approaches to protection of the freedom of religion and belief used within the international human rights regime. The research looks to promote a viable bottom up legal alternative for protection of rights relating to the freedom of religion in collaboration with local institutions and NGOs. 

The impact of this research intends to build the capacity of local, regional, and global actors to respond to contemporary challenges in both conflict and non-conflict settings enabling a local and nuanced realization of the right to the freedom of religion and belief for the individual. 

Publications

2015 - Contributor

Case Studies - Oxfam

Journal Articles and Chapters