معرفی
Huub Van Baar is Professor of Politics at Leuven International and European Studies (LINES) within the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. He also maintains a significant affiliation as Senior Research Affiliate with the collaborative research center Dynamics of Security at Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany, where he coordinates long-term research on Roma minority formation in modern European history. His work bridges European studies, critical security studies, and Romani studies with particular focus on migration, citizenship, and border politics.
Van Baar's research interests span Migration to and within Europe, Critical Security Studies and Securitization, Citizenship and Human Rights, European Governance, Ethnic and Racial Studies, and specialized Romani Studies. His work critically examines how Roma populations become targets of both citizenship and development programs while simultaneously being framed as security problems through securitization processes. He investigates how Roma challenge their securitization through everyday practices and activism while developing alternative forms of citizenship.
His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the security-development-citizenship nexus in Europe, with particular attention to Roma populations. The research demonstrates how racial governmentalities shape policies toward Roma, how memory practices challenge dominant narratives, and how security and development expertise intersect in institutional settings. His work spans theoretical contributions to securitization theory while maintaining strong empirical grounding in European policy contexts.
- ASCA Dissertation Award 2012
- Nomination Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award 2012
- ASCA Article Award 2009
Van Baar currently leads several major research projects including Anti-Electoral Securitization in the U.S. American Political Context (2024-2028), Negotiating Migrant Protection: Security and Protection at Europe's Borders (2022-2032), and Protection and Institutional Ambiguity in Migration Regimes at the EU's External Borders (2022-2024). He serves as editor of the book series New Directions in Romani Studies published by Berghahn. His academic journey began with training in mathematics and philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, followed by work as a freelance journalist before returning to complete his PhD in Humanities (2011) on Roma representation and transnational governmentality.
