Dr. Jessica Whyte

Biography

Jessica Whyte is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of New South Wales, Australia, with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Law. Her research integrates political philosophy, intellectual history, and political economy to analyze contemporary forms of sovereignty, human rights, and humanitarianism, particularly focusing on the political stakes of mobilizing the category of the human. She has published extensively on topics such as human rights, humanitarianism, neoliberalism, and contemporary European philosophy, particularly the works of Giorgio Agamben and Michel Foucault. Among her contributions are notable monographs including 'Catastrophe and Redemption: Political Thought of Giorgio Agamben' (SUNY Press, 2012) and 'Morals of the Market: Human Rights and the Rise of Neoliberalism' (Verso, 2019), which examines how human rights have been co-opted within neoliberal frameworks to create moral legitimacy for market societies. Her work has appeared in various academic journals and she serves as an editor for 'Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development'. Currently, she is focusing her research on the moral economy of civilian protection within contemporary warfare, particularly as it relates to the devastating impact of military actions on civilian populations.

Research Interests

Awards