Maeve McKeown

research

Who is responsible for global structural injustice? This is the question that motivates my research. In my book, With Power Comes Responsibility: The Politics of Structural Injustice (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024), I argue that power is central to understanding what structural injustice is, who bears responsibility for it, and how it can be changed. I have also published an edited volume with Jude Browne What is Structural Injustice? (Oxford University Press, 2024). My other research interests include reparations for slavery and intersectional feminism.

Currently, I am an Assistant Professor in Political Theory at Campus Fryslân, an interdisciplinary faculty at the University of Groningen, and a member of the Young Academy Groningen. Previously, I was a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Director of Studies in Philosophy at Newnham College, Cambridge; a Junior Research Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where I founded the St Hilda’s Feminist Salon; a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at Justitia Amplificata, Goethe University Frankfurt; and a Teaching Associate in Ethics and World Politics at the University of Cambridge. I did my PhD and MA in Political Theory at UCL (University College London). My undergraduate degree was in Politics and International Relations at the University of Manchester.

publications

Books

With Power Comes Responsibility: The Politics of Structural Injustice, London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2024.

What is Structural Injustice? Edited by Jude Browne and Maeve McKeown, Oxford University Press, 2024.

Structural Injustice in Philosophy, Edited by Maeve McKeown, Seunghyun Song, Milana Kostic (MAP), London: Bloomsbury Academic, work in progress.

Journal Articles

“The View from Below: How the Neoliberal Academy is Shaping Contemporary Political Theory,” Society, April 2022.

“Structural Injustice,” Philosophy Compass, Vol.16, No,7, 2021.

“Backward-looking Reparations and Structural Injustice,” Contemporary Political Theory, 2021.

“Iris Marion Young’s “Social Connection Model of Responsibility”: Clarifying the Meaning of Connection,” Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol.49, No.3, Fall 2018, pp.484-502.

“Global Structural Exploitation: Towards an Intersectional Definition,” Global Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric, Vol.9, No.2, 2016, pp.155-177. 

Book Chapters

“The Law’s Contribution to Deliberate Structural Injustice,” in Jonathan Wolff and Virginia Mantouvalou eds., Structural Injustice and the Law, London: UCL Press, forthcoming.

“Non-ideal Theory and Global Justice,” in Hilkje Hänel and Johanna Mueller eds., The Routledge Handbook of Non-Ideal Theory, London: Routledge, forthcoming.

“Pure, Avoidable, and Deliberate Structural Injustice,” in What is Structural Injustice?, Jude Browne and Maeve McKeown eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.

“Introduction,” What is Structural Injustice?, Jude Browne and Maeve McKeown eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.

“John Rawls,” in Manjeet Ramgotra and Simon Choat eds., Rethinking Political Thinkers, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

“Responsibility and Structural Injustice,” with Alasia Nuti, in What Matters Most: Conversations on the Art of Living, Anthony Morgen ed., London: Agenda, 2023.

“Social Justice,” The Routledge Handbook of PPE, Christopher Melenovsky ed., London: Routledge, 2022.

“Responsibility for Structural Injustice,” in International Encyclopedia of Ethics, Hugh LaFollette ed., Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2018.

“Sweatshop Labour as Global Structural Exploitation,” in Monique Deveaux and Vida Panitch eds., Exploitation: From Practice to Theory, London: Rowman & Littlefield International, 2017.

“Individuals as Agents of Justice: The Political Responsibility to Participate in Global Civil Society,” in Ernest-Marie Mbonda and Thierry Ngosso eds., Théories de la Justice: Séminaires Doctoraux de Yaoundé 2012-14, Louvain: Presses Universitaires de Louvain, 2016.

Special Issues

“Global Justice: Radical Perspectives,” Maeve McKeown and Alasia Nuti eds., Global Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric, Vol.9, No.2, 2016.

Reviews

“The Naturall Condition of Mankind,” European Journal of Political Theory (online first, Nov 2018).

Academic Blog Posts

“Sweatshops and Shame,” Beauty Demands, 2017, reposted August 2020.

“Pandemic Democracy,” Aperion Blog, May 2020.

“How to be an Effective Grad Student Under Lockdown,” Better Humans, April 2020.

“We are not all Rawlsians now,” Medium, April 2020.

“Critical précis, “What is my role in changing the system? A New Model of Responsibility for Structural Injustice,” by Robin Zheng,” Pea Soup, June 2018.

“Support Early Career Researchers, Increase Diversity,” Justice Everywhere, December 2016.

Interviews

Dialogues on Disability: Shelley Tremain Interviews Maeve McKeown – Biopolitical Philosophy, 20 July 2022.

Open access publication in the Spotlight (June) - 'The View from Below: How the Neoliberal Academy Is Shaping Contemporary Political Theory' – University of Groningen Library Open Science Blog, 20 June 2022.

academic employment

Assistant Professor in Political Theory, Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen (Sept 2021-present).

Director of Studies in Philosophy, Newnham College, Cambridge (Sept 2020-Sept 2021).

Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Cambridge (Sept 2019-Aug 2021).

Visiting Academic, St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford (Jan 2019-Sept 2019).

Junior Research Fellow, St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford (Jan 2016 - Dec 2018).

Teaching Associate in Ethics and World Politics, University of Cambridge (Oct 2015 - Jan 2016).

Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Justitia Amplificata, Goethe University Frankfurt (Oct 2014 - Oct 2015).

Young Academy Groningen (YAG)

PPE Centre, University of Groningen

Social Justice and Transitions Research Group, University of Groningen

American Political Science Association (APSA)

Society for Women in Philosophy UK (SWIPUK)

Society of Authors (SoA)