Dr. Rivke Jaffe

Biography

Rivke Jaffe is a Professor of Urban Geography at the University of Amsterdam, where she leads the Urban Geographies program group and co-directs the university's research priority area Global Digital Cultures. Her research focuses on the intersections of urban politics, specifically the spatialization and materialization of power, difference, and inequality in cities. Rivke investigates urban issues such as poverty, crime, and environmental degradation, exploring how these factors intertwine with social differentiation across race, class, and gender lines. Jaffe engages with the role of popular culture—like music, video clips, and street art—in reflecting and communicating urban exclusion and solidarity. Her current research projects include ANIMAPOLIS, an ERC-funded initiative examining the role of animals in shaping urban inequalities, and a study on the digitalization of illicit urban economies in Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, Jaffe has conducted extensive fieldwork related to security assemblages and the influence of non-state security actors in urban areas. She has a strong publication record, including projects that analyze the socio-political authority of criminal organizations in urban settings and the commodification of urban poverty through tourism. Currently accepting PhD students, her academic contributions aim to provide critical insights into the complexities of contemporary urban life and the factors that drive social problems and potential solutions.

Research Interests

Experience