dr. L (Lieke) van der Veer

Biography

Trained as an anthropologist and philosopher, my research focuses on economic and bureaucratic stimuli in state-society relations. I conduct question-driven research about topics I am concerned about.

As a postdoctoral researcher, I work in the NWA-funded project ‘Dilemmas of Doing Diversity.’ In this project I study knowledge production, alliance formation, and forms of administrative artistry that underpin anti-discrimination policies.

My doctoral thesis is entitled: 'Care in a Frictional Field of Forces: Assistance and Advocacy by and for Recent Refugees in Rotterdam.' During extensive fieldwork, I studied how refugee-led support initiatives are mediated by funding regimes, by advisors in refugee advocacy who perform as brokers, by citizenship ideals, and by bureaucratic practices of group-making.

I obtained a first-class honours BA in Philosophy, received a distinction grade for my MA thesis in Philosophy of Science, and graduated as a MSc in Conflict Resolution and Governance with distinction, all at the University of Amsterdam. I was awarded a grant for a visiting scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh (US) in 2019. 

In my capacity as lecturer, I have taught bachelor’s and master’s courses at Radboud University Nijmegen and supervised theses on multiple levels (bachelor, master, research-master). I also taught tutorials and labs about ethics for students in social work at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. 

My research interests include ethnography, political economy, and science-society relations.