Staff profile

Catherine Turner is Professor of International Law and Deputy Director of the Durham Global Security Institute. Her work sits at the intersection of international law and global policy in the field of international peace and security. She has a particular interest in peace mediation as a tool for the prevention, management and resolution of armed conflict. She has published extensively in the fields of peace mediation and transitional justice, focusing on promoting more inclusive approaches.

From 2022-2024 Catherine will be a Leverhulme Trust Fellow, researching on the concept of peace mediation. 

Catherine has consulted widely on inclusive leadership and increasing participation in peace processes for international organisations, governments and charities, including UN Women, the International Peace Institute, the Mediterranean Women’s Mediator Network, Beyond Borders Scotland, and Conciliation Resources. She has extensive experience as a practitioner, trainer and facilitator in mediation and good relations both in Northern Ireland and internationally. She has designed and delivered bespoke training in women’s leadership in peace mediation, as well as training and facilitation in transitional justice and peace mediation for women from conflict affected states across the world.Catherine holds an LLB from Trinity College Dublin, an LLM in Public International Law from the London School of Economics, and a Phd in Law from Queen’s University Belfast. She is currently a trustee and Co-Chair of the Board of Belfast based NGO Mediation Northern Ireland. She is also a member of the Board of the Brussels based MediatEUr (The European Platform for International Mediation and Dialogue).

Research Interests

 Catherine's research focuses on the role of international law and conflict, specialising in how the law regulates matters of war and peace, including international humanitarian law, peace mediation, and transitional justice. Her work is inherently interdisciplinary, focusing on the thematic area of peace and security and the ways in which the law interacts with other discplines. In Michaelmas Term 2019 Catherine led an Institute of Advanced Study Major Project Fellowship on Mediation for the 21st Century: Connecting the Local and the Global. This project focused on understanding conflict, and mediation, from the perspective of those who are affected by it, asking how mediation may need to adapt to accommodate the realities of 21st Century conflict.

Catherine has particular interest and expertise in women's participation in mediation, and through her research she has articulated specific gaps in the mediation literature that make women institutionally invisible. This work has helped to reframe the contrbution of women and women's leadership to the field of peace and security, as well as interrogating the inherently exclusionary nature of traditional mediation practice. As such her work is was at the forefront of thinking that connects WPS with mediation theory rather than simply peace process literature.

.She is a member of the editorial board of Global Policy. 

Research Supervision

Catherine welcomes proposals from prospective MJur and PhD students in the fields of international law and conflict, broadly defined. This can include but is not limited to projects in the fields of transitional justice, mediation, peace negotiations and women, peace and security.

• Public International Law
• Transitional Justice
• Women Peace and Security
• Post Conflict Reconstruction
• Peace Mediation
• Critical Legal Theory

• 2024: NATO- Civil Society Advisory Panel: Appointed member of the Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women Peace and Security for NATO.
• 2023: LSE- External Examiner for MSc Gender Peace and Security:
• 2023: Folks Bernadotte Academy -International Research Working Group on Peace Mediation and Dialogue:
• 2022: Associate Fellow - Geneva Centre for Security Policy:
• 2019: Board- Conciliation Resources EU:
• 2019: Northern Ireland Consultative Group on Women, Peace and Security.: Irish Secretariat, Belfast.

Authored book

• Violence, Law and the Impossibility of Transitional Justice
  
  Turner, C. (2016). Violence, Law and the Impossibility of Transitional Justice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315695044
• The Law of Property in Northern Ireland
  
  Turner, C., Quinn, L., Murphy, T., & Shields, R. (2014). The Law of Property in Northern Ireland. Colourpoint Educational.

Book review

• Book Review: Transitional Justice and the Historical Abuses of Church and State by JAMES GALLEN
  
  Turner, C. (2023). Book Review: Transitional Justice and the Historical Abuses of Church and State by JAMES GALLEN. Social & Legal Studies, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/09646639231222920

Chapter in book

• Transitional Justice: An Interdisciplinary Landscape?
  
  Turner, C., & Davidovic, M. (2023). Transitional Justice: An Interdisciplinary Landscape?. In C. Lawther & L. Moffet (Eds.), Research Handbook on Transitional Justice (pp. 26-43). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802202519.00011
• Rethinking Peace Mediation: Trends and Challenges
  
  Turner, C., & Wählisch, M. (2021). Rethinking Peace Mediation: Trends and Challenges. In C. Turner & M. Wählisch (Eds.), Rethinking Peace Mediation: Challenges of Contemporary Peacemaking Practice (pp. 1-16). Bristol University Press.
• Women’s Mediator Networks: Reflections on an Emerging Global Trend
  
  Fellin, I., & Turner, C. (2021). Women’s Mediator Networks: Reflections on an Emerging Global Trend. In C. Turner & M. Wählisch (Eds.), Rethinking Peace Mediation: Challenges of Contemporary Peacemaking Practice (pp. 285-306). Bristol University Press.
• Gender and Mediation
  
  Turner, C. (2021). Gender and Mediation. In O. Richmond & G. Visoka (Eds.), Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave.
• Mapping a Norm of Inclusion in the Jus Post Bellum
  
  Turner, C. (2021). Mapping a Norm of Inclusion in the Jus Post Bellum. In C. Stahn & J. Iverson (Eds.), Just Peace After Conflict: Jus Post Bellum and the Justice of Peace (pp. 130-146). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198823285.003.0008
• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
  
  Turner, C. (2021). Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding. In O. Richmond & G. Visoka (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Peacebuilding, Statebuilding and Peace Formation. Oxford University Press.
• Transitional justice and critique
  
  Turner, C. (2017). Transitional justice and critique. In C. Lawther, L. Moffett, & D. Jacobs (Eds.), Research Handbook on Transitional Justice (pp. 52-73). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781955314.00010
• Constitution Making and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
  
  Turner, C., & Houghton, R. (2015). Constitution Making and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. In M. Saul & J. A. Sweeney (Eds.), International law and post-conflict reconstruction policy. (pp. 119-140). Routledge.

Conference Paper

• Promoting Inclusion Through Networks of Women Mediators: New Trends and Research Directions
  
  Turner, C. (2018). Promoting Inclusion Through Networks of Women Mediators: New Trends and Research Directions [Conference paper]. Presented at Political Settlements Research Project Gender Conference, Belfast.
• The Importance of Theory as a Tool of Transitional Justice Research
  
  Turner, C. (2013). The Importance of Theory as a Tool of Transitional Justice Research [Conference paper]. Presented at International Studies Association, San Francisco, California.
• Constituting a Nation: The Critical Concept of Democracy in Transition
  
  Turner, C. (2012). Constituting a Nation: The Critical Concept of Democracy in Transition [Conference paper]. Presented at Minerva Jerusalem Conference on Transitional Justice, Jerusalem.
• Politics as Transitional Justice
  
  Turner, C. (2012). Politics as Transitional Justice [Conference paper]. Presented at Political Studies Association, Belfast.
• Public Space or Gated Community? Accessing the Garden of Transitional Justice
  
  Turner, C. (2012). Public Space or Gated Community? Accessing the Garden of Transitional Justice [Conference paper]. Presented at Critical Legal Conference - ’Gardens of Justice’, Stockholm.

Edited book

• Rethinking Peace Mediation: Challenges of Contemporary Peacemaking Practice
  
  Turner, C., & Waehlisch, M. (Eds.). (2021). Rethinking Peace Mediation: Challenges of Contemporary Peacemaking Practice. Bristol University Press.

Journal Article

• Inclusion in the Northern Ireland Peace Process: A ‘History of the Present’
  
  Turner, C. (2024). Inclusion in the Northern Ireland Peace Process: A ‘History of the Present’. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2024.2365512
• What Counts as Transitional Justice Scholarship? Citational Recognition and Disciplinary Hierarchies in Theory and Practice
  
  Davidović, M., & Turner, C. (2023). What Counts as Transitional Justice Scholarship? Citational Recognition and Disciplinary Hierarchies in Theory and Practice. International Studies Quarterly, 67(4), Article sqad091. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqad091
• Law, Language and the Power of "Invisible Threats" of Violence Against Women
  
  Turner, C., & Swaine, A. (2023). Law, Language and the Power of "Invisible Threats" of Violence Against Women. Journal of Law and Society, 50(3), 392-413. https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12442
• Aligning Participation and Protection in the Women Peace and Security Agenda
  
  Turner, C., & Swaine, A. (2023). Aligning Participation and Protection in the Women Peace and Security Agenda. International & Comparative Law Quarterly, 72(2), 477-508. https://doi.org/10.1017/s002058932300009x
• International Law and the Securitisation of Peacemaking: On Chapter VII, the Security Council and the Mediation Mandate in Yemen
  
  Turner, C. (2023). International Law and the Securitisation of Peacemaking: On Chapter VII, the Security Council and the Mediation Mandate in Yemen. Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 28(1), 161-186. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcsl/krac031
• Moving in a State of Fear: Ambiguity, Gendered Temporality and the Phenomenology of Anticipating Violence
  
  Twemlow, J., Turner, C., & Swaine, A. (2022). Moving in a State of Fear: Ambiguity, Gendered Temporality and the Phenomenology of Anticipating Violence. Australian Feminist Law Journal, 48(1), 87-111. https://doi.org/10.1080/13200968.2022.2138185
• 'Soft Ways of Doing Hard Things': Women Mediators and the Question of Gender in Mediation
  
  Turner, C. (2020). ’Soft Ways of Doing Hard Things’: Women Mediators and the Question of Gender in Mediation. Peacebuilding, 8(4), 383-401. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2019.1664369
• Absent or Invisible? Women Mediators and the United Nations
  
  Turner, C. (2018). Absent or Invisible? Women Mediators and the United Nations. Global Policy, 9(2), 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12532
• Editorial Comment: Law and Negotiation in Conflict: Theory, Policy, Practice
  
  Turner, C. (2016). Editorial Comment: Law and Negotiation in Conflict: Theory, Policy, Practice. Global Policy, 7(2), 256-260. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12336
• Transitional Constitutionalism and the Case of the Arab Spring
  
  Turner, C. (2015). Transitional Constitutionalism and the Case of the Arab Spring. International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 64(02), 267-291. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0020589315000020
• Peer assisted learning and the creation of a “learning community” for first year law students
  
  Zacharopoulou, A., & Turner, C. (2013). Peer assisted learning and the creation of a “learning community” for first year law students. Law Teacher, 47(2), 192-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069400.2013.790159
• Deconstructing Transitional Justice
  
  Turner, C. (2013). Deconstructing Transitional Justice. Law and Critique, 24(2), 193-209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10978-013-9119-z
• Human Rights and the Empire of (International) Law
  
  Turner, C. (2011). Human Rights and the Empire of (International) Law. Law & Inequality., 29(2), 313-342.
• Political Representations of Law in Northern Ireland
  
  Turner, C. (2010). Political Representations of Law in Northern Ireland. Public Law, 3, 451-459.
• Utopia and the Doubters: Truth, Transition and the Law
  
  Campbell, C., & Turner, C. (2008). Utopia and the Doubters: Truth, Transition and the Law. Legal Studies, 28(3), 374-395. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121x.2008.00093.x
• Delivering Lasting Peace, Democracy and Human Rights in Times of Transition: The Role of International Law
  
  Turner, C. (2008). Delivering Lasting Peace, Democracy and Human Rights in Times of Transition: The Role of International Law. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 2(2), 126-151. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijn017
• Gender, Truth and Transition
  
  Ni Aolain, F., & Turner, C. (2007). Gender, Truth and Transition. UCLA Women’s Law, 16, 229-279.

Report

• Doing Things Differently: Mediating in Mozambique
  
  Turner, C., & Palmiano Federer, J. (2024). Doing Things Differently: Mediating in Mozambique. Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
• Full, Equal, Meaningful and Safe: Creating Enabling Environments for Women's Participation in Libya
  
  Turner, C., & Swaine, A. (2023). Full, Equal, Meaningful and Safe: Creating Enabling Environments for Women’s Participation in Libya. International Peace Institute.
• Mediation and Development Finance
  
  Jokubauskaite, G., & Turner, C. (2022). Mediation and Development Finance. International Institute for Environment and Development.
• At the Nexus of Participation and Protection: Protection Related Barriers to Women's Participation in Northern Ireland
  
  Turner, C., & Swaine, A. (2021). At the Nexus of Participation and Protection: Protection Related Barriers to Women’s Participation in Northern Ireland. International Peace Institute.
• Overcoming Essentialisation: Understanding and Supporting Women's Diverse Roles in Peace Processes.
  
  Poutanen, J., & Turner, C. (2021). Overcoming Essentialisation: Understanding and Supporting Women’s Diverse Roles in Peace Processes. CMI- Martii Ahtisaari Peace Foundation.
• Increasing the Representation of Women Peace Mediators: Collaborative Leadership Models for Ensuring Equality
  
  Turner, C., & Bell, C. (2021). Increasing the Representation of Women Peace Mediators: Collaborative Leadership Models for Ensuring Equality. UN Women.
• Models for Women's Inclusion in Track One Mediation, Peace and Transition Processes.
  
  Bell, C., & Turner, C. (2021). Models for Women’s Inclusion in Track One Mediation, Peace and Transition Processes.