Emma Crewe

Professor Emma Crewe is a leading political anthropologist at SOAS University of London, with a focus on parliamentary ethnography, international development, and socio-political analysis. She has held significant academic and leadership roles, including Co-Head of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology (2024-) and Chair of the SOAS Academy Assembly (2021-2022).

• Chair of Health Poverty Action (2015-2000)
• Executive Director of ChildHope (2005-2011)
• Member of the SOAS Board of Trustees (2022-)
• Chair of the Study of Parliament Group UK (2025-)

Her research spans ethnographic studies of the UK Parliament, international development partnerships, and the intersection of power, ethics, and institutional culture. She founded the Global Research Network for Parliaments and People (2017) and led a £2m ERC-funded coalition (2020-2024) on citizen-politician relationships in six countries.

Key contributions include the context, links, and evidence framework (with Young, 2002) and edited volumes such as Complexity and Leadership (2022). Her work critically examines how rituals, rules, and symbols shape power dynamics in democratic institutions.

• Collaborative ethnography methods
• Westminster parliamentary reforms
• Global capacity-building projects
• Ethical leadership in volatile environments