Laurens Buijs
Latest News
The latest news is listed lowest:
ESSAY: Voorbij de vernedering van moslims: homo-emancipatie onder Marokkaanse Nederlanders (January 2012)
PAPER: The Paradox of Antigay Violence in 'Tolerant' Amsterdam (February 2012)
OPINIE: Jubelakkoord is wangedrocht (May 2012)
OPINIE: Asscher heeft met wallenproject weinig successen kunnen claimen (May 2012)
Introduction
My name is Laurens Buijs and I am a sociologist at the University of Amsterdam. I am working on several broad sociological themes, such as populism, nationalism, multiculturalism, urbanism, neoliberalism, inequality, gender, sexuality, and solidarity. Besides that, I am interested in the underlying similarities and linkages between these themes through the dissection of the concept of knowledge. In particular, I explore theinfluence of 'modernity' - with its fundamental assumption of a distinction between 'politics' and 'nature' as described by Bruno Latour (2004) - on knowledge production. I like to think of ways in which ethnographic, dynamic and relational approaches to the social (as developed by e.g. Elias, Bourdieu, Emirbayer, and Latour) can equip the social sciences with sophisticated tools to better understand the deeply interconnected, technologized and diversified world of today.
I believe in the importance of an open, independent and social academic community that actively outreaches to and is firmly rooted in the rest of society. As the co-founder and current chair of UvA Pride, the network for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT's) of the university, I have the pleasure to work together with a great group of both employees and students. We organize lectures, debates, movie nights, drinks, and parties where everyone is welcome (see the link to the UvA Pride website below for more information). Moreover, we work together with the central board and other institutions both inside and outside university in order to promote an open-minded academic community, also concerning sexuality and gender.
One last introductory remark, as I cannot resist this opportunity to draw attention to AFRIpads, a small-scale social business in Uganda that I helped set up and is run by my good friends Sonia and Paul. AFRIpads produces reusable and environmental-friendly menstrual pads for girls and women in the rural areas of Africa in order to increase female hygiene and health and decrease girl school dropout rates - and it is actually working. I am board member of the supporting foundation of AFRIpads. If you are interested or if you feel that you can help in any way, please don't hesitate to click on the link below!
UvA Pride
AFRIpads
Solidarity in the 21st Century
More information here soon; for now, please check the website of the research project below.
Solidarity in the 21st Century
The Dutch Paradox: The Merits and Limits of 'Liberal' Understandings of Sexuality and Tolerance
In 2008, Laurens worked on a research on anti-gay violence. The research was commissioned by the Amsterdam city council. Laurens was supervised by prof. dr. Jan Willem Duyvendak (Sociology) and dr. Gert Hekma (Gay & Lesbian Studies). The Amsterdam Police extended cooperation to the research team. The research was presented to the press on 20 November 2008.
Thisstudy fits in the larger research object of 'The Dutch Paradox', in which the merits and limits (and their intertwinedness) of 'liberal' understandings of sexuality and tolerance are explored, mostly through four concrete cases of societal controversy and urban/national politics: coming out of Dutch gays, antigay violence in a gay-friendly capital, the recent relaunch of Amsterdam as Gay Capital, and the current rebranding of the world famous Red Light District in Amsterdam.
Anti-Gay Violence is a Problem in Amsterdam (The New York Times, in English)
Obsessie met "mannelijkheid" leidt tot potenrammen
Policy recommendations (in Dutch)
Differences between the two reports on homophobic violence (in Dutch)
Other Professional Activities
From September 2008 until February 2009, Laurens supervised the ICTO-team of the College and Graduate School of Social Sciences, which offers ICT support to the institute's staff and sets up innovational grassroots projects. As a policy advisor to the College's manager, he developed a new strategy to evaluate courses (see policy document below). Questions concerning these activities may be addressed at ICTO (see link below).
Beleidsrapport Onderwijsevaluaties op het College en de Graduate School of Social Sciences (2009)
Website ICTO-team
Educational Background
(2006 - 2009) Research Master's in Social Sciences, MSc. (With Honor)
(2005 - 2006) Premaster's in Political Science
(2003 - 2005) Minor European Union Studies
(2001 - 2006) Dutch Language & Culture, MA.
LinkedIn Laurens Buijs
Latest picture Laurens Buijs (2012, large size)
