Luuk de Boer receives NWO Veni grant for research on sovereign citizens

Luuk de Boer has been awarded an NWO Veni grant within the NWO Talent Programme. With this grant, he will conduct research into a striking and internationally growing phenomenon: sovereign citizens who reject existing legal systems and develop their own alternative rules and ‘laws’.

In his project ‘Counter-Law: Why and How Sovereign Citizens Reinvent the Legal System’, De Boer examines how and why some individuals no longer accept national law and instead adopt their own legal ideas.

The project focuses on why this happens and how these alternative ways of thinking about law are structured. It looks at cases in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States.

Why is this important?

De Boer notes that this phenomenon has grown significantly in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, sovereign citizens are increasingly coming into contact with law enforcement and the justice system.

Although their ideas are often regarded as unrealistic, the research suggests that the phenomenon reflects broader societal changes. These include a stronger emphasis on the individual and ongoing debates about trust in government and the legal system.

International collaboration

The grant enables De Boer to conduct research in multiple countries and collaborate with researchers outside the Netherlands. This will allow the phenomenon to be studied in a broader international context.

He also aims to make the findings accessible to a wider audience, including through discussions on the role of law in society.

More information

Luuk de Boer