
Overview
Background
Sebastian Kaempf is an Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at the School of Political Science and International Studies. He is also the Director of the Rotary Peace Centre at UQ.
His expertise lies at the intersection between International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies, with specialization in the areas of international security, ethics and the laws of war, and information technology relating to global politics and violent conflict. Specifically, his research focuses on two areas:
The first concerns the relationship between ethics and the laws of war in the context of the transformation of violent conflict. Here, he is interested in the ways in which historic and contemporary wars - waged under conditions of asymmetry - have impacted on the relationship between the norms of casualty-aversion and civilian protection.
The second area focuses on the role a transforming global media landscape is playing in violent conflicts. Here, his research focuses on how historic and current conflicts are being waged in and through media and information technology, with a particular emphasis on the geopolitics of cyberspace, embedded news reporting, mass surveillance and big data mining, non-state armed groups, and the influence of the Pentagon and CIA in the entertainment sector.
Dr Kaempf received his PhD at the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University (UK). He holds a BSc and MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
He won the ISA Deborah Gerner Award for Teaching Innovation in 2020. In 2013, he won an Australian national award for teaching excellence (AAUT); in 2012, he won UQ and Faculty awards for teaching excellence. He is also the producer (with UQx and edX.com) and convenor of 'MediaWarX', one of UQ's Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): https://www.edx.org/course/global-media-war-technology-uqx-mediawarx-0
He was a visiting fellow/researcher at UGA in Athens, Georgia, Sao Paulo State University, Humboldt University in Berlin, Sciences Po Lyon, the Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, The University of Sydney,and Brown University in Providence, US.
Together with his colleague A/Prof Al Stark, he hosts the podcast 'Higher Ed Heroes': https://www.buzzsprout.com/813707
And he is the co-producer of the award-winning film documentary 'Theatres of War: How the CIA and Pentagon took Hollywood': https://go.mediaed.org/theaters-of-war
He is a member of the editorial team of the journal 'Review of International Studies'.
Availability
- Associate Professor Sebastian Kaempf is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Masters (Coursework) of Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wales
Research interests
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The relationship between ethics and the laws of war in the context of contemporary asymmetric US warfare
Dr Kaempf's research examines the relationship between ethics and the laws of war in the context of contemporary US warfare. More specifically, he investigates the ways in which wars waged under conditions of asymmetry have impacted on the relationship between the US norms of casualty-aversion and civilian protection. This historically-informed conceptual enquiry is explored in relation to questions of legitimacy and effectiveness of US interventions in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.
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Global Media, InfoTech, and War
In this research project, Dr Kaempf investigates the role a transforming global media landscape is playing in contemporary conflicts. It focuses specifically on how conflicts are being waged in and through historical and contemporary media platforms, with a particular emphasis on the Global War on Terror, the Arab Spring, surveillance, and the visualisation of drone warfare.
Works
Search Professor Sebastian Kaempf’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2023
Book
Routledge handbook of the future of warfare
Artut Gruszczak and Sebastian Kaempf eds. (2023). Routledge handbook of the future of warfare. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003299011
Featured
2023
Journal Article
Elimination games: the global rise of military reality TV and the shaping of the citizen subject
Kaempf, Sebastian and Stahl, Roger (2023). Elimination games: the global rise of military reality TV and the shaping of the citizen subject. Millennium, 51 (3), 643-662. doi: 10.1177/03058298231175980
Featured
2022
Other Outputs
Theaters of War: How the Pentagon and CIA took Hollywood
Stahl, Roger , Secker, Tom , Alford, Matthew and Kaempf, Sebastian (2022). Theaters of War: How the Pentagon and CIA took Hollywood. Northampton, MA, United States: Media Education Foundation.
Featured
2019
Journal Article
Sousveilling the ‘Global War on Terror’
Stahl, Roger and Kaempf, Sebastian (2019). Sousveilling the ‘Global War on Terror’. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 73 (4), 337-356. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2019.1613633
Featured
2019
Journal Article
‘A relationship of mutual exploitation’: the evolving ties between the Pentagon, Hollywood, and the commercial gaming sector
Kaempf, Sebastian (2019). ‘A relationship of mutual exploitation’: the evolving ties between the Pentagon, Hollywood, and the commercial gaming sector. Social Identities, 25 (4), 542-558. doi: 10.1080/13504630.2018.1514151
Featured
2018
Journal Article
Crisis in the laws of war? Beyond compliance and effectiveness
Clark, Ian, Kaempf, Sebastian, Reus-Smit, Christian and Tannock, Emily (2018). Crisis in the laws of war? Beyond compliance and effectiveness. European Journal of International Relations, 24 (2), 319-343. doi: 10.1177/1354066117714528
Featured
2018
Book
Saving soldiers or civilians: casualty-aversion versus civilian protection in asymmetric conflicts
Kaempf, Sebastian (2018). Saving soldiers or civilians: casualty-aversion versus civilian protection in asymmetric conflicts. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108551816
Featured
2013
Journal Article
The mediatisation of war in a transforming global media landscape
Kaempf, Sebastian (2013). The mediatisation of war in a transforming global media landscape. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 67 (5), 586-604. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2013.817527
Featured
2009
Journal Article
Double standards in US warfare: Exploring the historical legacy of civilian protection and the complex nature of the moral-legal nexus
Kaempf, S. (2009). Double standards in US warfare: Exploring the historical legacy of civilian protection and the complex nature of the moral-legal nexus. Review of International Studies, 35 (3), 651-674. doi: 10.1017/S0260210509008699
Featured
2009
Journal Article
Violence and Victory: Guerrilla warfare, ‘authentic self-affirmation’ and the overthrow of the colonial state
Kaempf, Sebastian (2009). Violence and Victory: Guerrilla warfare, ‘authentic self-affirmation’ and the overthrow of the colonial state. Third World Quarterly, 30 (1), 129-146. doi: 10.1080/01436590802622433
2023
Book Chapter
Introduction
Gruszczak, Artur and Kaempf, Sebastian (2023). Introduction. Routledge handbook of the future of warfare. (pp. 1-8) London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003299011-1
2023
Book Chapter
Deterritorialization and violent networks
Kaempf, Sebastian (2023). Deterritorialization and violent networks. Routledge handbook of the future of warfare. (pp. 142-152) London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003299011-16
2023
Journal Article
Trying to unplug for 24 hours: conspiracy mentality predicts social isolation and negative emotions when refraining from internet use
Jetten, Jolanda, Zhao, Chongting, Álvarez, Belén, Kaempf, Sebastian and Mols, Frank (2023). Trying to unplug for 24 hours: conspiracy mentality predicts social isolation and negative emotions when refraining from internet use. advances.in/psychology, 1 (1). doi: 10.56296/aip00003
2022
Journal Article
Violence re-directed: due care and the moral challenge of casualty displacement warfare
Renic, Neil C. and Kaempf, Sebastian (2022). Violence re-directed: due care and the moral challenge of casualty displacement warfare. International Relations, 37 (2), 228-250. doi: 10.1177/00471178221105598
2022
Book Chapter
Getting our teaching “future ready”
Kaempf, Sebastian (2022). Getting our teaching “future ready”. Pandemic Pedagogy: Teaching International Relations Amid COVID-19. (pp. 189-202) edited by Andrew A. Szarejko. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-83557-6_12
2022
Journal Article
Modern lawfare: exploring the relationship between military first-person shooter video games and the “war is hell” myth
Renic, Neil C. and Kaempf, Sebastian (2022). Modern lawfare: exploring the relationship between military first-person shooter video games and the “war is hell” myth. Global Studies Quarterly, 2 (1) ksab045. doi: 10.1093/isagsq/ksab045
2021
Journal Article
Teaching international relations through the format of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
Kaempf, Sebastian and Finn, Carrie (2021). Teaching international relations through the format of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). International Studies Perspectives, 22 (1), 1-24. doi: 10.1093/isp/ekz025
2019
Journal Article
Bugsplat: The Politics of Collateral Damage in Western Armed Conflicts. By Bruce Cronin
Kaempf, Sebastian (2019). Bugsplat: The Politics of Collateral Damage in Western Armed Conflicts. By Bruce Cronin. Perspectives on Politics, 17 (02), 537-538. doi: 10.1017/s1537592719000665
2019
Journal Article
Response to Bruce Cronin’s review of Saving Soldiers or Civilians? Casualty-Aversion versus Civilian Protection in Asymmetric Conflicts
Kaempf, Sebastian (2019). Response to Bruce Cronin’s review of Saving Soldiers or Civilians? Casualty-Aversion versus Civilian Protection in Asymmetric Conflicts. Perspectives on Politics, 17 (02), 541-541. doi: 10.1017/s1537592719001294
2019
Journal Article
How western soldiers fight: organizational routines in multinational missions
Kaempf, Sebastian (2019). How western soldiers fight: organizational routines in multinational missions. International Affairs, 95 (1), 225-226. doi: 10.1093/ia/iiy261
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sebastian Kaempf is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Asymmetric Conflicts, US Warfare, non-state armed groups and the ethics and laws of war
In this area, I am interested in taking on PhD students researching the relationship between ethics and the laws of war in the context of the transformation of violent conflict; the ethics of contemporary war; asymmetric conflicts; the rise of casualty-averse and risk free war (with its implications for ethics and the laws of war); and projects examining contemporary and historical questions of civilian protection in violent conflict.
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Global Media, InfoTech, and War
In this area, I am interested in taking on PhD students researching the political effects of the current transformation of the global media landscape; the intersection between infotech and violent conflict; contemporary and historical war and its connection to media; the (geo)politics of cyberspace; embedded war reporting; mass surveillance; and non-state armed groups and their use of information technology.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Factors impacting the efficacy of local civilian community networks in operational atrocity prevention
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Bellamy
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Doctor Philosophy
"Three warfares" as a kind of hybrid war with Chinese characteristics under Xi Jinping
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Phillips
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Doctor Philosophy
Preserving Human Dignity: Surveying the Role of Civilian Agency in the Moral Justification of Irregular Warfare
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Bellamy
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Compensation for Killing: The US Military Practice of Compensating Civilians for Combat Harm
Principal Advisor
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
The Islamic State's Gendered Propaganda: Mobilising Women and Men from Territorial Control to Insurgency
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Phillips
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Justified Killing in War and the Dilemma of Radical Asymmetry
Principal Advisor
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Photographic Resistance: Protest, the News, and the Viewer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Roland Bleiker
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Redemptive nationalism, communication media, and challenges to global order
Associate Advisor
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Cyber Peace: The risks of information technologies deployed into United Nations peacekeeping missions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Bellamy
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
From "Under the Acacia Tree" to the African Union's "Panel of the Wise": The emergence of Indigenous African approaches to conflict resolution in discourse
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Liberal Militarisation: Visualising the Military Body as a Form of Governance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Roland Bleiker
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Redefining Private Force: The private military and security industry and the construction of a new normative environment
Associate Advisor
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Preventive Diplomacy: The Role of the Individual in Attempts to Prevent War
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Sebastian Kaempf directly for media enquiries about:
- Afghanistan
- American warfare
- Asymmetric conflicts
- Contemporary security
- Critical security studies
- Digital media technology
- Ethics - war
- German foreign policy
- Germany
- International Peacekeeping
- Iraq
- ISIL
- Islamic State
- Journalism - embedded
- Law - war
- Militainment
- New media technology
- Peacekeeping
- Somalia
- surveillance
- Virtual gamespace
- War - ethics, conflict, laws
- war reporting
- Wikileaks
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