US hegemonic power, Hollywood, and the production of knowledge and legitimacy
Dr Sebastian Kaempf is Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the School of Political Science and International Studies.
Dr Kaempf's expertise lies at the intersection between International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies, with specialization in the areas of international security, conflict transformation, 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.
About School Research Seminar Series
POLSIS Research Seminar Series
Semester 2 2025
All sessions are held in-person, Friday 1 — 2:30pm, Room 537, Building 39A (unless stated)
1 August | Minran Liu (UQ) | Seminar | ‘Correcting the World: Justice and Coercion in Chinese Strategic Culture’ |
8 August | Katherine Cullerton (UQ) | Seminar | ‘Corporate influence and the nutrition policy stalemate in Australia’ |
15 August | Ilias Alami (Cambridge), Lee Jones (QMUL), Seth Schindler (Manchester), Shahar Hameiri (UQ) | Roundtable | 'The Second Cold War and the Politics of Polyalignment’ |
22 August | Alastair Stark (UQ) | Seminar | ‘Erase and Repeat: Institutional Amnesia in Government’ |
29 August | Alastair Stark (Chair) | Portfolio Event | Grad Centre Event: Participation |
5 September | Michael Gavin (UQ) | Seminar | ‘The Politics of the IMF's lending capacity’ |
12 September | Jon Piccini (ACU) | Seminar | 'The History of Left Nationalist Foreign Policy in Australia’ |
17 September (5-7pm) | Andrew Phillips (UQ) | Inaugural Lecture, 275 GCI Building | ‘Who Killed the Liberal International Order, and What Comes Next?’ |
19 September | Martin Weber (Chair) | Portfolio Event | Indigenous Engagement Event |
26 September | Kiri Ingram (UQ) | Seminar | ‘The strategic logic of gender in violent extremist ideology and propaganda strategy: from Islamic State to Incels’ |
10 October | Ryan Walter (Chair) | Portfolio Event | T&L Event: Secure Assessment Showcase |
17 October | Lindy Andren, Molly Murphy, Cormac Opdebeeck Wilson (UQ) | ECR Showcase | ECR Showcase |
24 October | Julie Ballangarry & Outi Donovan (Griffith) | Seminar | ‘First Nations and Feminist Foreign Policy’ |
29 October | Outi Donovan & Matt McDonald (Chairs) | UQ-Griffith Showcase, Ship Inn, South Bank | UQ- Griffith Research Showcase: Politics & IR in SEQ |
Enquiries:
Director of Research, Professor Matt McDonald – matt.mcdonald@uq.edu.au