Roel Kuiper

{{short description|Dutch politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Roel Kuiper | image = File:Roel kuiper 3.jpg | image_size = | office = [[Parliamentary leader|Leader]] of the [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]] in the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] | term_start = 7 June 2011 | term_end = 11 June 2019 | predecessor = [[Egbert Schuurman]] | successor = [[Mirjam Bikker]] | office1 = [[Senate (Netherlands)|Member of the Senate]] | term_start1 = 12 June 2007 | term_end1 = 11 June 2019 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|04|05|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Mariënberg]] | death_date = | death_place = | birth_name = Roelof Kuiper | party = [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]] | spouse = | alma_mater = [[VU University Amsterdam]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]] and [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]], history; MA, philosophy) | occupation = [[Politician]], [[historian]], [[philosopher]] | signature = | website = [http://www.christenunie.nl/nl/page/15611 ChristianUnion biography] }}

'''Roelof (Roel) Kuiper''' (born 5 April 1962 in [[Mariënberg]]) is a Dutch historian, philosopher, ideologue, politician and university professor. He was from 2007 to 2019 a member of the Dutch [[Senate of the Netherlands|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]] (VU).

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, such as 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 (Netherlands)|Christian Union]], the [[Groen van Prinsterer Stichting]].

Kuiper was a member of "Nationale Conventie", a think tank for a revision of the national political system. This system consists presently of an executive government, a [[bicameralism|bicameral]] parliament, the judiciary and the political parties. The central question was if changes in that system could contribute to recovery of faith between citizens and government. He has also served as a professor specialized in Christian identity at the [[Theological University of the Reformed Churches]].<ref name="rd">{{Cite news |url = https://www.rd.nl/artikel/1056681-christenunie-bezint-zich-na-zetelverlies-op-koers |url-access = subscription |date = 15 March 2024 |last = Vroegindeweij |first = Gerard |access-date = 23 March 2024 |language = nl |website = [[Reformatorisch Dagblad]] |title = ChristenUnie bezint zich na zetelverlies op koers |trans-title = Christian Union reflects vision after electoral loss }}</ref>

The historical, political and philosophical publications by Kuiper are often [[Christian apologetics|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.

== Politics == Kuiper was a [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]] member of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] from 12 June 2007 until 11 June 2019. He was also a [[Parliamentary leader|Senate group leader]] from 7 June 2011 until 11 June 2019, succeeding [[Egbert Schuurman]]. Following the party losing two of its five seats in the [[2023 Dutch general election|2023 general election]], Kuiper was tasked with reshaping its vision. His assignment included investigating the party's participation in the [[fourth Rutte cabinet]] and investigating whether the Christian Union had become too leftist.<ref name="rd"/>

== Publications == * Zelfbeeld en wereldbeeld. Antirevolutionairen en het buitenland, 1848–1905 (Uitgeverij Kok: Kampen, 1992). Proefschrift. * Herenmuiterij. Vernieuwing en sociaal conflict in de antirevolutionaire beweging, 1871–1894 (Leiden, 1994) * Uitzien naar de zin. Inleiding tot een christelijke geschiedbeschouwing (Uitgeverij Groen: leiden, 1996). * ‘Das abschied eines antirevolutionärs von Deutschland. Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) und Adolf Stoecker (1835–1909)’, in: Jahrbuch Zentrum Für Niederlande-Studien (Verlag Regensberg: Münster, 1998). * Op zoek naar de samenleving. Over anti-utopisch denken en politieke verantwoordelijkheid (Rotterdam, 1999). Inaugurele oratie. * Op het breukvlak van twee millennia (Willem de Zwijgerstichting: Apeldoorn, 1999) * Kunst van het leven. De cultuuruitdaging van de 21e eeuw (Rotterdam, 1999). Redactie met L. la Riviere en prof.dr. J.-P. Balkenende * ‘Tot een voorbeeld zult Gij blijven’. Mr. G. Groen van Prinsterer. Biografie (Amsterdam, 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 (Amsterdam, 2002). * ‘Human Identity and Reformational Social Philosophy’, in: Philosophia Reformata (jaargang 69, 2004, no. 1). * ‘Dialoog en vervreemding als politieke werkelijkheid’, in: Govert Buijs, Peter Blokhuis, [[Sander Griffioen]], Roel Kuiper (redactie), Homo Respondens. Verkenningen rond het mens-zijn (Buijten en Schipperheijn: Amsterdam, 2005). * Over de schutting, Op weg naar nieuwe solidariteit, Redactie samen met Cors Visser (Buijten en Schipperheijn: Amsterdam, 2005). * ‘Groen van Prinsterer’s Ongeloof en Revolutie (1847)’, in: F.G.M. Broeyer en D.Th. Kuiper, Is ’t waar of niet? Ophefmakende publicaties uit de ‘lange’ negentiende eeuw (Meinema: Zoetermeer, 2005). * ‘Heimat und Fremde – Herausforderungen im Zeitalter von Migration und Globalisierung’, in: Erkenntnis und Glaube, band 36 ([[Evangelische Verlagsanstalt]]: Leipzig, 2006). * ‘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 (Buijten en Schipperheijn: Amsterdam, 2006).

== References == * {{in lang|nl}} [http://www.parlement.com/9291000/biof/03171 Parlement.com biography] {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{in lang|nl}} [http://www.eerstekamer.nl/persoon/prof_dr_r_kuiper_christenunie Senate biography]

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[Egbert Schuurman]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Leader of the [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]]<br>in the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]|years=2011–2019}} {{s-aft|after=[[Mirjam Bikker]]}} {{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuiper, Roel}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century Dutch philosophers]] [[Category:21st-century Dutch philosophers]] [[Category:Calvinist and Reformed philosophers]] [[Category:Christian apologists]] [[Category:Christian Union (Netherlands) politicians]] [[Category:Dutch Christian writers]] [[Category:20th-century Dutch historians]] [[Category:Academic staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam]] [[Category:Members of the Senate (Netherlands)]] [[Category:People from Hardenberg]] [[Category:Reformed Churches (Liberated) Christians from the Netherlands]] [[Category:Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni]] [[Category:Academic staff of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]]