Patrick J. Vernon is a Lecturer in Gender and War Studies in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Their research studies the role of gendered, sexual and racialised representations in discourses and practices of security.

They are particularly interested in the study of political violence from the micro to the global level, having researched topics including online abuse, hostile media representations of minoritised groups, bordering practices, genocide, and humanitarian intervention.

Alongside their academic practice, Patrick has a creative freelance practice that focuses on engaging with minoritised communities. Patrick served on the steering group for The Healing Gardens of Bab, co-curated and executively produced produced immersion: a celebration of community and belonging at Moseley Road Baths, and helped to deliver Key to the City and Public Trust.

Patrick has published work in journals including Millennium, International Studies Review, International Political Sociology, and The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. Their forthcoming book, The Coloniality of Humanitarian Intervention, scrutinises the practice of humanitarian intervention to explore the extent to which racism and heteronormativity, rooted in colonial understandings of time and space, are enacted through the UK’s responses, failed responses, and non-responses to atrocity crimes.

Research:

Patrick is an expert in queer and feminist approaches to world politics. They are enthusiastic about cross-disciplinary work and approaches to world politics that are simultaneously attentive to gender, sexuality and racism.

• Queer and feminist approaches to security and IR
• Historic and ongoing impacts of coloniality
• Mass atrocities and humanitarian intervention/R2P
• Bordering processes (both informal and formal)
• Discourse analysis
• The British body-politic

Publications:

Monographs:

• Vernon P. J. (accepted/forthcoming: May 2024) The Coloniality of Humanitarian Intervention, London: Routledge

Journal Articles:

• Vernon P. J. (2024) 'Civilisational Politics at the Commonwealth Games: Identity, Coloniality, and LGBTQI+ Inclusion',  International Political Sociology, Online First
• Galpin C. and Vernon P. J. (2023) 'Post-Truth Politics as Discursive Violence: Online Abuse, The Public Sphere, and the Figure of ‘The Expert’, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Online First.
• Vernon P. J. (2022) 'Sexuality, Gender and the Colonial Violence of Humanitarian Intervention', International Studies Review, 24(3).
• Vernon P. J. (2021) 'Queering Genocide as a Performance of Heterosexuality', Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 48(2).

Co-Edited Collections:

McGlinchley S., Vernon P.J., Wan L. and Zeynep S.B. (2022) Global Politics in a Post-Truth Age, Bristol: E-International Relations Publishing

Policy Papers:

Galpin C. and Vernon P.J. (2023) ‘Post-truth politics as online abuse: How gender, race, and sexuality shape perceptions of the expert’, Jean Monnet Post Truth Politics Network for the European Union - March 2023, available at: https://ams.hi.is/en/publication/105/

Cooper-Cunningham, D., Hagen, J.J., Vernon, P.J. et. al (2023), Queering Peace and Security: Recommendations to the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Sheffield: University of Sheffield, available at: https://curis.ku.dk/portal/files/369349432/Queer_Peace_Design_Report_v3_single_page.pdf

Teaching:

• Gender and War
• Feminist Perspectives on War
• Global Politics