Former Fellow

Lonneke Peperkamp

Assistant Professor Philosophy of Law at Radboud University Nijmegen, and IRC Postdoctoral Fellow at University College Dublin

Research project title:
Claiming Subsistence Rights

Research abstract:
Although human rights are enshrined in international law, around 600 million people live in extreme poverty. Many consider the existence of extreme poverty in the face of abundant affluence morally problematic. The field of global distributive justice is concerned with the distribution of burdens and benefits among the global population. The main question is: What should ‘we’ (the affluent) do to address this injustice? Despite large agreement on the claim that we must, indeed, help the global poor, many people do not do that. What demands attention, therefore, is not the question of what ‘we’ should do to alleviate global poverty, but the flipside of that question: What can ‘they’ (the poor) do to secure their rights to subsistence? Potential means vary from peaceful resistance; political pressure; civil disobedience; taking resources from rightful owners; migration; to, most radically, violent resistance or war for subsistence. Such radical means are the focus of this project. The central question is: Can it be justified to claim subsistence rights by using violent means? In answering that question, this research project integrates philosophy (global justice and just war theory), human rights doctrine, and political theory.

Events:
Presentation Political Theory Colloquium June 16, 2020

  • Biografische Angaben

    Lonneke Peperkamp is Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Law at Radboud University Nijmegen, and research fellow at University College Dublin and Goethe University Frankfurt. She currently works on a two-year research project 'Claiming Subsistence Rights'. Her research interests are war and political violence, peace building, space ethics, global justice, poverty, and human rights. She is a member of the Board of Directors of EuroISME (the International Society for Military Ethics in Europe).
  • Publikationen

    L. Peperkamp and R. Tinnevelt (2020), ‘On the Possibility of Justified Subsistence Wars’, book chapter in: A. Chadwick and S. Egan (eds.), Poverty and Human Rights, Edward Elgar Publishing (in press). L. Peperkamp (2020), ‘A Just and Lasting Peace after War’, book chapter in: C. Stahn et. al. (ed.), Jus Post Bellum and the Justice of Peace, Oxford: Oxford University Press. L. Peperkamp (2016), ‘The Blurry Boundaries between War and Peace: Do we need to extend just war theory?’, Archives for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy 102/3, 315- 332. L. Peperkamp (2016), ‘On the Duty to Reconstruct after War: Who is responsible for jus post bellum?’, Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence 29/2, 403- 430. L. Peperkamp (2014), ‘Jus Post Bellum: A case of minimalism versus maximalism?’, Ethical Perspectives 21/3, 255- 288.

News from the research center

Event
20.04.2026 | Brussels

Militärische KI verantwortungsvoll nutzen und Regulierung neu denken

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Künstliche Intelligenz findet im Militär immer breiteren Einsatz, von Logistik und Training über Missionsplanung und Zielidentifikation bis hin zu autonomen Waffensystemen. Gleichzeitig wächst die Bedeutung von Mikroprozessoren immer stärker, der Zugang zu seltenen Erden und Chips wird zur zentralen Ressource. KI kann das Kampfgeschehen beschleunigen und damit destabilisierend wirken. Der Wettlauf um neue Fähigkeiten birgt jedoch auch Eskalationsrisiken. Wir laden Sie ein, diese Themen im nächsten Crisis Talk gemeinsam mit unseren hochkarätigen Podiumsgästen zu diskutieren.

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Event
28./29.05.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice

Conference

Following the research focus of the Global Health Justice Postdoctoral Programme, the "Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice" conference places a particular emphasis on themes such as the human right to health, political activism and health justice issues, and problems of structural injustice and vulnerable populations in health care. Keynote lectures by Jonathan Wolff and Kanchana Mahadevan.

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Publication
26.03.2026 | Monograph

The Cambridge History of Latin American Law in Global Perspective

Duve, Thomas; Herzog, Tamar (eds.): The Cambridge History of Latin American Law in Global Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024 (portugiesisch 2025; spanisch 2026).

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Publication
26.03.2026 | Monograph

Rechtsgeschichte des frühneuzeitlichen Hispanoamerika

Duve, Thomas; Egío, José Luis  (2023): Rechtsgeschichte des frühneuzeitlichen Hispanoamerika, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023.

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Event
18.04.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Das Prinzip Donald Trump und die Verrohung der Welt

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Ein neuer Politikstil macht international Karriere. Er ist gekennzeichnet von Vulgarität, Verrohung und erklärter Rechtsfeindschaft. Machtinteressen werden nicht mehr juristisch bemäntelt. Stattdessen wird das angebliche Recht des Stärkeren zur Staatsdoktrin gemacht – innenpolitisch wie außenpolitisch. Treibende Kraft hinter dieser Verrohung der politischen Sitten ist ein US-Präsident, der nicht nur die amerikanische Gesellschaft und Kultur, sondern auch die globale Ordnung nach seinen Vorstellungen und Interessen umgestaltet. Die Römerberggespräche wollen diesen Politikstil verstehen.

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Event
14.07.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Democracy Over Time and the Climate Crisis

Lecture Series

Vortrag von Anja Karnein (Binghamton). Die Vortragsreihe untersucht Fragen der Klimakrise als Herausforderungen für demokratische Gesellschaften und konzentriert sich auf Themen wie politische Legitimität, Widerstand gegen fossile Brennstoffe und die Interessen künftiger Generationen. Sie wird organisiert von Prof. Dr. Darrel Moellendorf und Dr. Lukas Sparenborg.

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Event
10.06.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Capital Investment, Inequality, and State Power in a Time of Climate Emergency

Lecture, Lecture Series

The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic
societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests
of future generations.

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Event
13.05.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Failed States and Cloudy skies: Tipping Points, Overshoot and Permanent Emergency, after America

Lecture Series

The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic
societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests
of future generations.

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Event
22.04.2026

Political Legitimacy, Authoritarianism, and Climate Change

Lecture, Lecture Series

Lecture by Ross Mittiga (SOAS London). The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests of future generations. It is organized by Prof. Dr. Darrel Moellendorf and Dr. Lukas Sparenborg.

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