Dr Haim Abraham awarded British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant for ‘Queering Private Law’

As we celebrate Pride Month at UCL, we're delighted to share that Dr Haim Abraham, Lecturer in Law at UCL Faculty of Laws, has been awarded a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant for 2024–25, together with Dr Eden Sarid of King’s College London. Their collaborative project, Queering Private Law, will investigate the intersection of private law and queer theory.

The project challenges traditional legal assumptions and aims to critically examine supposedly neutral private law doctrines through a queer lens, in order to promote a more inclusive and equitable legal framework. The grant will support three core activities:

• A dedicated website will be created to serve as a resource hub for scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of private law and queer theory. It will also foster a wider academic network in the field.
• A Private Law Queerathon—a participatory, brainstorming-style event—will be held to encourage new research ideas and build collaborations between legal scholars and queer theorists.
• The second Queering Private Law Workshop will be organised, building on the success of the inaugural event in 2023, and will result in an edited academic collection.

“Through these efforts, we aim to create a stable network of queer private law scholars,” said Dr Sarid. “Alongside fostering new academic relationships and conversations, this project is aimed at generating fresh ideas to diversify education and research in private law, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQI+ and queer perspectives.”

Dr Abraham added:
“Examining private law through a queer lens is essential now more than ever, as the backlash against the LGBTQI+ community requires thinking about new forms of protecting and advancing LGBTQI+ rights. Queering Private Law will help identify and challenge areas where private law inadvertently perpetuates discrimination and disadvantage, expose existing power structures, and ultimately help build a more nuanced, inclusive, and just legal system.”

This award marks the latest achievement in Dr Abraham’s research career. He has previously secured over £175,000 in competitive national and international grants for both solo and collaborative projects, with funders including the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Modern Law Review, the Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the University of Haifa’s Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions.

Find out more:

• Dr Haim Abraham's UCL Profile 
• Find out more about Dr Eden Sarid's research on Google Scholar
• Read about the 2003 Queering the Private Law Workshop that Dr Abraham and Dr Sarid organised.
• Learn more about the Sexuality and Law module that Dr Abraham convened 
• Stay informed about the Queering Private Law project by signing up for updates