Dr. Bastiaan Bouwman

Biography

Bastiaan Bouwman is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University specializing in history and international relations, particularly focusing on the twentieth century. His research examines themes such as human rights, humanitarianism, and refugees in the context of the Cold War, decolonization, and globalization. He analyzes the historical relationship between politics and morality, using various sources from non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental institutions. His forthcoming book, 'Liberalism and Liberation: World Council of Churches, Global Politics, and Human Rights', published by Cambridge University Press in 2026, draws on extensive archival research to show how Christian human rights advocacy has evolved dramatically over decades. Initially, the World Council of Churches focused on promoting religious freedom. However, a shift in the 1970s led to a 'liberationist' approach to human rights, influenced by liberation theology developed in Latin America. Bastiaan has held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University, Freie Universität Berlin, and the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, where he developed his new project, 'Rise of Refugee Rights: The Movement to Make Asylum a Human Right, c. 1945-1995'. He has received the Veni talent grant from the Dutch Research Council for this project in 2023 and has organized international conferences, contributing to academic discourse on these pressing issues.

Research Interests

Experience