
Overview
Background
Sarah Percy arrived at UQ from the University of Western Australia in 2016. Prior to her appointment at UWA, Sarah was University Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow in International Relations at the University of Oxford (Merton College). At Oxford, Sarah was on the steering committee of the Oxford Programme on the Changing Character of War. Sarah did her M.Phil and D.Phil as a Commonwealth Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford.
Sarah's research focuses on international security and the history of war. She has had a long-standing interest in unconventional combatants, and has published widely on mercenaries, private military companies, and pirates. She is interested in how historical developments in war shape modern practices, examining mercenaries, women in combat, the history of international law, and weapons control. She is the author of two books: Mercenaries: The History of a Norm in International Relations (OUP: 2007) and Forgotten Warriors: The Long History of Women on the Front Line (Hachette: 2023) as well as numerous articles. Sarah is also a broadcaster and has made three radio series for ABC Radio National, including Why the Cold War Still Matters and two seies of An Object in Time.
Availability
- Associate Professor Sarah Percy is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford
Research interests
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Piracy
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Maritime security
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International security
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Mercenaries
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Private military and security companies
Research impacts
Sarah's research projects have had considerable impact outside academia. Sarah has presented her research on mercenaries and private military companies at the United Nations; at policy-oriented events at Princeton University and New York University; and at the Royal United Services Institute (London) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London). Her resaearch on women in combat has featured in testimony to Congress in the United States.
Sarah's research on piracy was featured in the production notes for the film "Captain Phillips", directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks. She has presented this research to the Royal Navy and at DFAT's Counter-Piracy Conference.
Sarah is an experienced media commentator. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, USA Today, The Conversation, and The Lowy Interpreter. She has appeared on radio in the United States (National Public Radio) and in Australia (Radio National, multiple programs including Rear Vision and The World Today) and on Sky News. She is also a sought-after radio guest, appearing on radio in the United States (NPR), Canada (CBC), UK (Times Radio, BBC), and in Australia, on Radio National, where she has been a featured guest on Conversations and numerous other radio programmes.
Sarah loves to speak about her research to a wide audience and has appeared at the Oxford Literary Festival, the Chalke History Festival, and the Byron Bay Writers' Festival.
Works
Search Professor Sarah Percy’s works on UQ eSpace
2019
Book Chapter
A world transformed: the need for new defence approaches?
Percy, Sarah (2019). A world transformed: the need for new defence approaches?. After American primacy. (pp. 211-217) edited by Peter J. Dean, Stephan Frühling and Brendan Taylor. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing. doi: 10.2307/jj.1744972.19
2019
Journal Article
Illegal fishing and Australian security
Lindley, Jade, Percy, Sarah and Techera, Erika (2019). Illegal fishing and Australian security. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 73 (1), 82-99. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2018.1548561
2019
Journal Article
What makes a norm robust: the norm against female combat
Percy, Sarah (2019). What makes a norm robust: the norm against female combat. Journal of Global Security Studies, 4 (1), 123-138. doi: 10.1093/jogss/ogy044
2018
Book Chapter
Maritime security
Percy, Sarah (2018). Maritime security. The Oxford handbook of international security. (pp. 607-621) edited by Alexandra Gheciu and William C. Wohlforth. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198777854.013.40
2017
Book
An introduction to international relations
Richard Devetak, Jim George and Sarah Percy eds. (2017). An introduction to international relations. 3rd ed. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316855188
2017
Book Chapter
International law
Percy, Sarah (2017). International law. An introduction to international relations. (pp. 266-279) Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316855188.020
2016
Journal Article
Counter-piracy in the Indian Ocean: A new form of military cooperation
Percy, Sarah (2016). Counter-piracy in the Indian Ocean: A new form of military cooperation. Journal of Global Security Studies, 1 (4), 270-284. doi: 10.1093/jogss/ogw018
2016
Journal Article
Maritime crime and naval response
Percy, Sarah (2016). Maritime crime and naval response. Survival, 58 (3), 155-189. doi: 10.1080/00396338.2016.1186986
2016
Book Chapter
Norms and regulation
Percy, Sarah (2016). Norms and regulation. Routledge handbook of private security studies. (pp. 219-227) edited by Rita Abrahamsen and Anna Leander. London, United Kingom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315850986-27
2016
Book Chapter
Counter-piracy in the Indian Ocean: Networks and Military Cooperation
Percy, Sarah (2016). Counter-piracy in the Indian Ocean: Networks and Military Cooperation. The new power politics: networks and transnational security governance. (pp. 245-267) edited by Deborah Avant and Oliver Westerwinter. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2015
Journal Article
Foreign fighters aren’t a new problem, so heed history’s lessons
Percy, Sarah (2015, 06 23). Foreign fighters aren’t a new problem, so heed history’s lessons
2015
Journal Article
Illegal fishing: much more than a conservation problem
Percy, Sarah (2015). Illegal fishing: much more than a conservation problem. Lowy Interpreter
2015
Journal Article
Smooth sailing ahead? What counter-piracy can teach multinational military operations about co-operation
Percy, Sarah (2015). Smooth sailing ahead? What counter-piracy can teach multinational military operations about co-operation. Policy Forum
2015
Book
Reordering security: crossing the criminology/IR divide
Ian Loader and Sarah Percy eds. (2015). Reordering security: crossing the criminology/IR divide. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
2014
Book Chapter
The unimplemented norm: anti-mercenary law and the problems of institutionalization
Percy, Sarah (2014). The unimplemented norm: anti-mercenary law and the problems of institutionalization. Implementation and world politics : how international norms change practice. (pp. 68-84) edited by Alexander Betts and Phil Orchard. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2013
Journal Article
The business of piracy in Somalia
Percy, Sarah and Shotland, Anja (2013). The business of piracy in Somalia. Journal of Strategic Studies, 36 (4), 541-578. doi: 10.1080/01402390.2012.750242
2013
Journal Article
Counter-piracy in Somalia: help or hindrance
Percy, Sarah and Shortland, Anja (2013). Counter-piracy in Somalia: help or hindrance. Journal of Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 19 (2), 275-283. doi: 10.1515/peps-2013-0005
2013
Journal Article
Contemporary maritime piracy: five obstacles to ending Somali piracy
Percy, Sarah and Shortland, Anja (2013). Contemporary maritime piracy: five obstacles to ending Somali piracy. Global Policy, 4 (1), 65-72. doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12043
2013
Journal Article
Mercenaries
Percy, Sarah (2013). Mercenaries. Oxford Bibliographies Online: Military History doi: 10.1093/OBO/9780199791279-0105
2012
Journal Article
Bringing the ‘outside’ in and the ‘inside’ out: crossing the criminology/IR divide
Percy, Sarah and Loader, Ian (2012). Bringing the ‘outside’ in and the ‘inside’ out: crossing the criminology/IR divide. Global Crime, 13 (4), 213-218. doi: 10.1080/17440572.2012.715402
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sarah Percy is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
The drivers of protracted armed conflicts: Why they cause protraction and how they develop throughout conflicts
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Bellamy, Associate Professor Suzanna Fay
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Doctor Philosophy
Countering China? Reactions to Chinese Geostrategy in India, Japan, and South Korea
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shahar Hameiri
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Doctor Philosophy
Women and retirement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gillian Whitehouse
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Doctor Philosophy
What impact does men's use of parental leave have on women's experiences in paid employment?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gillian Whitehouse
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Doctor Philosophy
Identity, Institutions and Policy: Ontological security and the Australian Defence Force
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Harmful Speech and the Limits of Counterspeech
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Kath Gelber
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Free Speech, Counterspeech, and Constitutional Values on University Campuses
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Kath Gelber
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The Politics of International Legitimacy: Indonesia's and Sri Lanka's Justifications for the Use of Force
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Sarah Percy directly for media enquiries about:
- Maritime security
- mercenaries
- Piracy
- pirates
- private military companies
- private security companies
- Royal Australian Navy
- women in combat
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