Dr Sanne van Oosten (PhD, University of Amsterdam) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, where she is involved in the EqualStrength project. This project explores the cumulative and structural forms of discrimination faced by ethnic, racial, and religious minorities in Europe, with a particular focus on Muslims, Roma, and Black minorities. Her work examines how prejudice and hate crimes accumulate across different life domains and generations, as well as the intersection of race, ethnicity, and religion with other forms of inequality such as gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status.
Dr van Oosten’s PhD research, completed in October 2024 at the University of Amsterdam, investigated the political representation of minority, especially Muslim, politicians in European parliaments. Using quantitative methods and meta-analysis, she explored how voter preferences for politicians with shared religious, migration, and gender backgrounds affect their electoral success. Her findings revealed that the religion of politician and voter plays a significant role in voter preferences, while stereotyping and projection impact the dynamics of political representation.
In addition to her academic work, Dr van Oosten has published widely in both academic and non-academic outlets, including Legislative Studies, Electoral Studies, and The New York Times. She has provided strategic advice to various political bodies and NGOs, including Amnesty UK and the UK Home Office. Dr van Oosten is also a frequent media contributor, with appearances on BBC, NPR, New York Times and Dutch outlets like Volkskrant, Nieuwsuur and NOS.
Link to Sanne van Oosten’s CV.
Twitter/X: https://x.com/sbvanoosten
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/sbvanoosten.bsky.social
LinkedIn: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/sanne-van-oosten-12023126
