SJ Cooper-Knock

SJ Cooper-Knock (they/them) is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the School of Law, University of Sheffield, with a joint appointment in the Department of Sociological Studies. They are also a member of the Sheffield Institute for International Development and the Centre for Criminological Research, as well as an Associate Researcher at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

• PhD, University of Oxford
• MPhil, University of Oxford
• BA (Hons) in History and Politics, University of Nottingham

Their research focuses on the politics of urban life in South Africa, with key themes including:

• Everyday policing and punishment, including police abolition
• Being and belonging in cities
• Urban crisis and justice
• Energy sustainability in elite off-grid decisions (Gauteng City Regional Observatory collaborations)
• Informal settlement fires in the Western Cape (IRIS Fire Team)

Recent publications explore:

• Legal engagement in post-war Uganda
• Civic-led banishment in South Africa
• Court summons practices across Africa
• Moral economies of post-apartheid citizenship

These works intersect with criminology, African studies, and urban justice.

Professional roles include

• Editorial Board, Journal of Southern African Studies
• Editorial Board, Critical African Studies

Cooper-Knock contributes to interdisciplinary research through collaborations with institutions such as the University of Cambridge, University of the Western Cape, and University of Edinburgh, particularly via the IRIS Fire Team.