In: (Book chapter, forthcoming in Puyvallée and Bjørkdahl (eds.), Do-Gooders at the End of Aid: Scandinavian Humanitarianism in the 21st Century, Cambridge University Press, 2021)
In: (Book chapter, forthcoming in Gibney, Krajewski and Vandenhole (eds.) Routledge Handbook on Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations, Routledge 2021)
Abstract Current challenges to the traditionally privileged position of law in both refugee policy and refugee studies invite scholars to consider carefully the approach we take to our craft. This article argues that refugee law scholarship is surrounded by thin walls, as researchers broker the 'dual imperative' to simultaneously advance knowledge and protection in a field heavily influenced by policy interests and networks of practitioners that actively take part in, and promote, scholarly production. These close links between the field and the policy world continue to shape research agendas, methodologies, and scholarly positions. This article draws from Bourdieusian field theory and legal sociology to offer a prism through which to look at the forces that influence refugee law research and to consider their implications for scholarship. It is argued that greater sensitivity to the underlying dynamics of our profession is essential, not only to ensure more inclusivity in the community of scholars and expand the current canon of refugee law, but ultimately to sustain claims to policy relevance.