Roelof Kuiper is a Dutch historian, philosopher, ideologue, politician and university professor. He was from 2007 to 2019 a member of the Dutch Senate, and is professor of Reformational philosophy at the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam in the name of the Association for Reformational philosophy, teaching Society Issues at the Christelijke Hogeschool Ede and Gereformeerde Hogeschool Zwolle and Political and social philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Kuiper received his doctorate in History in 1986 at the VU. In 1992 he got his promotion at the same university on the subject: Zelfbeeld en wereldbeeld: antirevolutionairen en het buitenland 1848–1905. He received his doctorate in Philosophy at the VU in 1998.
Positions
After his doctorate in History Kuiper had, besides what is written above, different other positions, like teacher at the MO-teacherseducation History, at the Evangelische Hogeschool in Amersfoort, from 1991 until 1995 he was director of the Association for Reformational Philosophy in Utrecht and in 1995 he succeeded André Rouvoet as director of the Marnix van Sint Aldegonde Stichting, the Scientific Institute of the Reformational Political Federation until 2002. From 2000 until 2002 he was director of the Scientific Institute of the Christian Union, the Groen van Prinsterer Stichting. Currently Kuiper is member of the 'Nationale Conventie', a think tank for a revision of the national political system. This system consists presently of an executive government, a bicameral parliament, the judiciary and the political parties. The central question is if changes in that system can contribute to recovery of faith between citizens and government. The historical, political and philosophical publications by Kuiper are often apologetic by nature, defending the Christian faith in the Netherlands against ongoing secularization. Many of his ideas are inspired by Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, the intellectual father of the Antirevolutionary Party; Kuiper wrote a biography of Groen in 2001.
‘Techniek en politiek: humaniteit, moraliteit en openbaar bestuur’, in: Kees Boersma, Jan van der Stoep, Maarten Verkerk, Ad Vlot, Aan Babels stromen. Een bevrijdend perspectief op ethiek en techniek.
‘Dialoog en vervreemding als politieke werkelijkheid’, in: Govert Buijs, Peter Blokhuis, Sander Griffioen, Roel Kuiper, Homo Respondens. Verkenningen rond het mens-zijn.
Over de schutting, Op weg naar nieuwe solidariteit, Redactie samen met Cors Visser.
‘Groen van Prinsterer’s Ongeloof en Revolutie ’, in: F.G.M. Broeyer en D.Th. Kuiper, Is ’t waar of niet? Ophefmakende publicaties uit de ‘lange’ negentiende eeuw.
‘Heimat und Fremde – Herausforderungen im Zeitalter von Migration und Globalisierung’, in: Erkenntnis und Glaube, band 36.
‘De praktijk van het sociaal werk’, in: Henk Jochemsen, Roel Kuiper, Bram de Muynck, Een theorie over praktijken. Normatief praktijkmodel voor zorg, sociaal werk en onderwijs.
