Profiles
Matt Killingsworth
Matt Killingsworth
Head of Discipline, Politics & International Relations
Senior Lecturer - International Relations
School of Social Sciences
Room 512 , Social Sciences building
+61 3 6226 1062 (phone)
Dr Matt Killingsworth is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Social Sciences. He is currently researching the history of the laws of war and new forms of international criminal justice. His past research focused on opposition and dissent in Communist Eastern Europe, justice in post-Communist Eastern Europe and the changing nature of war.
Biography
After completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne, Matt was employed as an associate lecturer in international relations at La Trobe University. He joined the University of Tasmania in 2010 as an associate lecturer in international relations and was promoted to lecturer in 2012.Between March 2014 and July 2014, he was Acting Head, Politics and International Relations and in 2013, Matt was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict at the University of Oxford.
Career summary
Qualifications
| Degree | Title of Thesis | University | Country | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Civil Society versus the Totalitarian Public Sphere: Reconceptualising Opposition and Dissent in Communist Poland, Czechoslovakia and Poland | University of Melbourne | Australia | 2007 |
| BA (Hons) | University of Melbourne | Australia | 2002 |
Memberships
Committee associations
Chair, International Humanitarian Law Committee, Red Cross Tasmania
Administrative expertise
- Coordinator, International Relations Programme (2010-present)
- Acting Head, Politics and International Relations (May 2014- July 2014)
Teaching
International relations theory, International law, Laws of war, International criminal justice, American politics, European Union politics
Teaching responsibility
View more on Dr Matt Killingsworth in WARP
Expertise
- Democratisation in Eastern Europe
- International humanitarian law
- Laws of war
- International criminal court
Research Themes
Matt's research aligns to the University's theme of Creativity, Culture and Society. His research interests include international criminal justice; the laws of war; the changing nature of war; and lustration and democratisation in Central and Eastern Europe.
Matt's research on the laws of war explores the evolution of the laws from the early modern period to present, with a particular focus on the development in the post-Cold War era of international legal mechanisms through which to punish gross violations of the laws of war (the ICTY, ICTR and the International Criminal Court). Matt's research is concerned with the degree to which these new legal mechanisms challenge long held understandings of how states conduct themselves with regards to the use of force. Matt's research on democratisation in post-Communist Eastern Europe is focused on post-Communist justice or lustration and explores tensions associated with reconciling totalitarian crimes.
Collaboration
Matt is currently involved in two international research collaborations.
The first relates to research concerned with the relationship between the contemporary state and organised violence and involves partnerships in Australia and Switzerland. The second concerns research being undertaken on the International Criminal Court and involves partnerships with colleagues at universities in the UK and the US.
Awards
Jean Monnet Thesis Prize, 2007: recognition of excellence for theses produced at postgraduate level in the fields of European and European Integration studies.
A. F. Davies Prize, 2007: awarded to the best research paper published in a refereed journal in a given year in the in the disciplines of Political Science and Sociology (for 'Opposition and Dissent in Soviet Type Regimes: Civil Society and its Limitations', Journal of Civil Society, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 2007, pp. 59–79).
Fields of Research
- International Relations (160607)
- Political Theory and Political Philosophy (160609)
Research Objectives
- International Relations (940399)
Publications
Matt's publications focus on two research areas: democratisation and post-Communist justice in Eastern Europe and understanding the changing nature of war, including laws of war.
Matt's book on dissent in Communist Eastern Europe (Civil Society in Communist Eastern Europe: Opposition and Dissent in Totalitarian Regimes (Chelmsford: European Consortium of Political Research Press, 2012) is widely cited in the field, as are his works that explore the nature of post-Communism in Poland ('Where does Poland Fit in Europe?: How Political Memory influences Polish MEPs perceptions of Poland's place in Europe', Perspectives on European Politics and Society, Vol. 11, No. 4, December 2010; 'Lustration after Totalitarianism: Poland's attempts to Reconcile with its Communist Past', Communist and Post Communist Studies, Vol. 43, No. 3, September 2010; and 'Lustration and Legitimacy', Global Society, Vol. 24, No. 1, January 2010).Matt has a developing publication record exploring how we might understand new forms of violence and attempts to limit it, including an edited collection (Violence and the State
(Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2015) and journal articles and chapters in edited books ('From St Petersburg to Rome: Understanding the Evolution of the Modern Laws of War',Australian Journal of Politics and History; 'The transformation of war? New and old conflicts in the former USSR' in M. Sussex (ed.), Conflict in the Former USSR, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).
Total publications
32
Highlighted publications
(9 outputs)| Year | Type | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chapter in Book | Killingsworth M, 'Limiting the use of force: the ICTY, ICTR and ICC', Violence and the state, Manchester University Press, Killingsworth M, Sussex M and Pakulski Jan (ed), United Kingdom, pp. 183-204. ISBN 9780719097027 (2016) [Research Book Chapter] | |
| 2016 | Journal Article | Killingsworth M, 'From St Petersburg to Rome: understanding the evolution of the modern laws of war', Australian Journal of Politics and History, 62, (1) pp. 100-115. ISSN 0004-9522 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/ajph.12210 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1Web of Science - 2 | |
| 2015 | Book | Killingsworth ME, Pakulski J, Sussex MA, 'Violence and the State', University of Manchester Press, Manchester ISBN 978-0-7190-9702-7 (2015) [Edited Book] Co-authors: Pakulski J; Sussex MA | |
| 2012 | Book | Killingsworth M, 'Civil Society in Communist Eastern Europe: Opposition and Dissent in Totalitarian Regimes', European Consortium for Political Research Press, UK, pp. 184. ISBN 978-1-907301-27-8 (2012) [Authored Research Book] | |
| 2012 | Chapter in Book | Killingsworth M, 'The transformation of war? New and old conflicts in the former USSR', Conflict in the Former USSR, Cambridge University Press, Matthew Sussex (ed), UK, pp. 172-194. ISBN 978-0-521-76310-3 (2012) [Research Book Chapter] | |
| 2011 | Journal Article | Strong C, Killingsworth M, 'Stalin the charismatic leader?: Explaining the 'Cult of Personality' as a legitimation technique', Politics, Religion and Ideology, 12, (4) pp. 391-411. ISSN 2156-7689 (2011) [Refereed Article] | |
| 2010 | Journal Article | Killingsworth ME, 'Lustration after Totalitarianism: Poland's attempt to reconcile with its Communist past', Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 43, (3) pp. 275-284. ISSN 0967-067X (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.postcomstud.2010.07.007 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 11Web of Science - 7 | |
| 2010 | Journal Article | Killingsworth ME, 'Lustration and Legitimacy', Global Society, 24, (1) pp. 71-90. ISSN 1360-0826 (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/13600820903432118 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 6 | |
| 2010 | Journal Article | Killingsworth ME, Klatt M, Auer S, 'Where Does Poland Fit in Europe? How Political Memory Influences Polish MEPs' Perceptions of Poland's place in Europe', Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 11, (4) pp. 358-375. ISSN 1570-5854 (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/15705854.2010.524408 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7 |
Journal Article
(9 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Killingsworth M, 'America's exceptionalist tradition: from the law of nations to the international criminal court', Global Society, 33, (2) pp. 285-304. ISSN 1360-0826 (2019) [Refereed Article] | |
| 2016 | Killingsworth M, 'From St Petersburg to Rome: understanding the evolution of the modern laws of war', Australian Journal of Politics and History, 62, (1) pp. 100-115. ISSN 0004-9522 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/ajph.12210 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1Web of Science - 2 | |
| 2012 | Killingsworth M, Sussex M, '20 Years after the fall of the Soviet Union', Global Change, Peace & Security, 24, (2) pp. 199-201. ISSN 1478-1158 (2012) [Contribution to Refereed Journal] DOI: 10.1080/14781158.2012.680720 [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Sussex M | |
| 2012 | Killingsworth Matt, 'Understanding order and violence in the post-Soviet space: the Chechen and Russo-Georgia wars', Global Change, Peace & Security, 24, (2) pp. 219-233. ISSN 1478-1158 (2012) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/14781158.2012.679920 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 2 | |
| 2011 | Strong C, Killingsworth M, 'Stalin the charismatic leader?: Explaining the 'Cult of Personality' as a legitimation technique', Politics, Religion and Ideology, 12, (4) pp. 391-411. ISSN 2156-7689 (2011) [Refereed Article] | |
| 2010 | Killingsworth ME, 'Lustration after Totalitarianism: Poland's attempt to reconcile with its Communist past', Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 43, (3) pp. 275-284. ISSN 0967-067X (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.postcomstud.2010.07.007 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 11Web of Science - 7 | |
| 2010 | Killingsworth ME, 'Lustration and Legitimacy', Global Society, 24, (1) pp. 71-90. ISSN 1360-0826 (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/13600820903432118 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 6 | |
| 2010 | Killingsworth ME, Klatt M, Auer S, 'Where Does Poland Fit in Europe? How Political Memory Influences Polish MEPs' Perceptions of Poland's place in Europe', Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 11, (4) pp. 358-375. ISSN 1570-5854 (2010) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1080/15705854.2010.524408 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7 | |
| 2007 | Killingsworth ME, 'Opposition and Dissent in Soviet Type Regimes: Civil Society and its Limitations', Journal of Civil Society , 3, (1) pp. 59-79. ISSN 1744-8689 (2007) [Refereed Article] |
Book
(3 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Killingsworth M, McCormack T, 'Civility, Barbarism and the Evolution of International Humanitarian Law: Who Do the Laws of War Protect?', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (In Press) [Edited Book] Co-authors: McCormack T | |
| 2015 | Killingsworth ME, Pakulski J, Sussex MA, 'Violence and the State', University of Manchester Press, Manchester ISBN 978-0-7190-9702-7 (2015) [Edited Book] Co-authors: Pakulski J; Sussex MA | |
| 2012 | Killingsworth M, 'Civil Society in Communist Eastern Europe: Opposition and Dissent in Totalitarian Regimes', European Consortium for Political Research Press, UK, pp. 184. ISBN 978-1-907301-27-8 (2012) [Authored Research Book] |
Chapter in Book
(6 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Killingsworth M, 'The International Criminal Court and Global Justice', Violent States and creative States: from the global to the individual. Volume I: Structural violence and creative structures, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, J Adlam, T Kluttig and BX Lee (ed), United Kingdom, pp. 237-249. ISBN 9781785925641 (2018) [Research Book Chapter] | |
| 2016 | Killingsworth M, 'Limiting the use of force: the ICTY, ICTR and ICC', Violence and the state, Manchester University Press, Killingsworth M, Sussex M and Pakulski Jan (ed), United Kingdom, pp. 183-204. ISBN 9780719097027 (2016) [Research Book Chapter] | |
| 2016 | Killingsworth M, Sussex M, Daly G, 'Conclusions: violence and the state - past, present and the future', Violence and the state, Manchester University Press, Killingsworth M, Sussex M and Pakulski Jan (ed), United Kingdom, pp. 205-219. ISBN 9780719097027 (2016) [Research Book Chapter] Co-authors: Sussex M; Daly G | |
| 2016 | Sussex M, Killingsworth M, 'Introduction: understanding violence and the state', Violence and the state, Manchester University Press, Killingsworth M, Sussex M and Pakulski Jan (ed), United Kingdom, pp. 1-14. ISBN 9780719097027 (2016) [Research Book Chapter] Co-authors: Sussex M | |
| 2012 | Killingsworth M, 'The transformation of war? New and old conflicts in the former USSR', Conflict in the Former USSR, Cambridge University Press, Matthew Sussex (ed), UK, pp. 172-194. ISBN 978-0-521-76310-3 (2012) [Research Book Chapter] | |
| 2010 | Killingsworth ME, 'Old and New Wars', Issues in 21st Century World Politics, Palgrave Macmillan, M. Beeson and N. Bisley (ed), New York, pp. 125-135. ISBN 978-0-230-59451-7 (2010) [Research Book Chapter] |
Review
(2 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Killingsworth M, 'Human Rights and Democracy: The Precarious Triumph of Ideals', Political Science, 66, (2) pp. 175-176. ISSN 0032-3187 (2014) [Review Single Work] | |
| 2010 | Killingsworth ME, 'Ethics and International Relations', Australian Journal of Political Science, 45, (3) pp. 528-529. (2010) [Review Single Work] |
Conference Publication
(1 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Killingsworth ME, 'Europe: New Voices, New Perspectives', Contemporary Europe Research Centre, 8 December 2006, Melbourne, pp. iv, 105. ISBN 978-0-646-47263-8 (2007) [Conference Edited] |
Other Public Output
(11 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Killingsworth M, 'International Politics with Dr Matt Killingsworth: Interview with Sarah Gillman', Mornings, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Hobart, Tasmania, 18 July 2018 (2018) [Media Interview] | |
| 2016 | Killingsworth M, 'Panel discussion with John and Chas in the faux-val office', Planet America, Australian Broadcasting Company, Australia, 34, 16 Sept (2016) [Media Interview] | |
| 2015 | Killingsworth ME, 'What admitting Palestine to the International Criminal Court means', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group, Australia, 16 January (2015) [Magazine Article] | |
| 2015 | Killingsworth ME, 'President Al-Bashir's 'escape'', Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, Australian Broadcasting Company, Australia, 19 June (2015) [Media Interview] | |
| 2014 | Killingsworth ME, 'Palestine's bid to join the ICC', Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, ABC Radio National, Australia, 9 February (2014) [Media Interview] | |
| 2014 | Killingsworth ME, 'The International Criminal Court on trial as it takes on a President', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group, Australia, 9 October (2014) [Magazine Article] | |
| 2014 | Killingsworth ME, 'Show time for the ICC', Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, ABC Radio National, Australia, 13 October (2014) [Media Interview] | |
| 2013 | Killingsworth ME, 'Congo warlord Bosco Ntaganda's surrender offers renewed hopes for peace', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Trust, Online, 3 April 2013 (2013) [Magazine Article] | |
| 2013 | Killingsworth ME, 'The hunt may be off, but a $5 million pledge might bring Kony to justice', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Trust, Online, 5 April 2013 (2013) [Magazine Article] | |
| 2013 | Killingsworth ME, 'International Criminal Court is not just for hunting Africans', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group, Australia, 12 September (2013) [Magazine Article] | |
| 2012 | Killingsworth M, 'Trust and Distrust in a Communist Society', Vietnamese Forum, BBC, UK (2012) [Magazine Article] |
Grants & Funding
Matt has been awarded other grants, including:
- United States' State Department Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Political Thought, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 19th of June – 1st of August, 2014, Value: US$ 15,555.
- UTAS Arts Faculty Research Group Funding - 'War, Violence and State Elites' – value $15,000
Funding Summary
Number of grants
4
Total funding
Projects
- Description
- Focusing on the attempts to moderate modern warfare, this project will investigate what informs constraint in modern war.
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($7,150)
- Scheme
- Grant-CAL Hothouse Research Enhancement Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Killingsworth ME; McCormack T; Blazeby L; Devetak R
- Year
- 2017
- Description
- Informed by the seemingly paradoxical idea of humanity in warfare, there is a well-developed intellectual heritage, reaching back at least as far as St Augustine, that accepts the inevitability of war while articulating the need for limits, concerning both the right to go to war (jus ad bellum) and conduct during war (jus in bello). Yet the development of codified, multilateral laws of war, the violation of which called for punishment, are relatively new, emerging only in the mid-nineteenth century. Nonetheless, the speed at which the laws of war have evolved, culminating in the establishment of the International Criminal Court in 2002, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Indeed, it has been argued that this evolution constitutes a cosmopolitanisation of the laws of war that reflects an international legal system that has evolved from protecting the rights of states to the responsibility of protecting the rights of individuals.Yet such claims fail to acknowledge the seemingly irreconcilable tension between the apparent spread and acceptance of laws of war with the ongoing violation of said laws. With this in mind, the aim of this project is to explore the following questions: Who are the laws of war extended to and why? Is there an historical continuity with protections being informed by notions of civility and barbarian? How might these continuities and exceptions inform conceptions of international society?
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($10,085)
- Scheme
- Grant-Research Enhancement (REGS)
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Killingsworth ME
- Year
- 2016
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($10,000)
- Scheme
- Grant-Research Enhancement (REGS)
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Killingsworth ME
- Year
- 2013
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($4,250)
- Scheme
- Grant-New Appointees Research Grant Scheme (NARGS)
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Killingsworth ME
- Year
- 2010
Research Supervision
He is currently supervising a number of PhDs on the following topics:
- Human rights law and the European Court of Human Rights
- War and Development in the Great Lakes region of Africa
Matt is keen to supervise research Masters or PhDs on the following topics:
- The changing nature of war
- Transitional justice
- The laws of war or IHL
- International criminal justice
Current
9
Completed
2
Current
| Degree | Title | Commenced |
|---|---|---|
| PhD | Explaining Political Reasons for Africas Underdevelopment | 2015 |
| PhD | The Political Economy of Food in China | 2015 |
| PhD | The Effects of US Ballistic Missile Defence on Nuclear Deterrence and Regional Security: A comparative case study analysis of Russian and Chinese nuclear deterrence, and the effects of BMD | 2015 |
| PhD | What Role do Judges at the International Criminal Court Play in the Progressive Development of International Humanitarian Law? | 2017 |
| PhD | Australia's Soft Power Challenge, its Use of International Broadcasting and the Contested Role of Public Interest Media | 2017 |
| PhD | Modernity in International Society | 2018 |
| PhD | Navigating a Multipolar World: The Implications of Sino-Russian Rapprochement for Eurasia | 2019 |
| Masters | Rescue Operations in Sex Trafficking: The role of international institutions and non-government organisations | 2019 |
| PhD | The Accused as Victim and Perpetrator: a case study on Dominic Ongwen | 2019 |
Completed
| Degree | Title | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| PhD | NGO Compliance with Treaty Objects and Purposes: The cases of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling Candidate: Lucy Ann Celine Smejkal | 2019 |
| PhD | The Push Towards Compliance: Domestic culture, legitimacy and compliance with the European Court of Human Rights Candidate: Zoe Charlotte Jay | 2018 |