Virginia De Biasio

Research

Title of Research:

Natural Resources Justice and Capabilities

Brief overview of research topic:

My dissertation investigates how a just allocation of rights to natural resources ought to look like. The main aim of the research is to ground and defend a new theoretical framework based on the capabilities approach, which can help tackle relevant questions for a theory of natural resources justice. I argue that, by focusing on the concept of capabilities as the metric of justice, several issues can be addressed from an original and better perspective, rather than the one adopted by current theories of natural resources justice including the existence of both individual and collective claims to natural resources, the intrinsic value of some natural resources (i.e., animals), and the recognition of special relationships that can occur between people and resources.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Visiting Research Student at the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University (Kingston, ON) – Fall term 2021 – Supervisor: Prof Margaret Moore
• MSc Politics, Economics and Philosophy (University of Hamburg) – 2017-2019  
• BA Philosophy (University of Padova) – 2014-2017 (09/2015- 02/2016: Erasmus+ Programme at the Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Publications & Conference Presentations

Academic Publications:

De Biasio, V. (2024) ‘When does attachment to natural resources count?’, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. 

(forthcoming). “Risse: On Global Justice” Global Encyclopedia of Territorial Rights, ed. by Kevin W. Gray and Laura Lo Coco (Springer, 2023).

Work-in-progress:

A paper on Small Islands Developing States and Climate Adaptation, under review.

Non-academic Publications:

De Biasio Virginia (2023): “Migration or Non-Migration to Adapt?: Assessing the Impact on the Well-Being of the Population”, Report on the effects of climate change on the population of the Republic of Kiribati, written for Earth Refuge. 

Conference Presentations:

“Not Just “Sinking Islands”: Climate Change and Adaptation in Small Island Developing States”, presented at:

• 4th CEU POLEMO - Political, Legal and Moral Symposium, Central European University (Vienna), 2023
• Brave New World, University of Manchester, 2023
• Territory and Climate, The Tromsø Conference in Ethics and Political Philosophy, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway (Tromsø), 2023
• Territories, Peoples, Nations — Decolonial Approaches to Foundational Concepts in Political Theory, Northwestern University in Qatar (Doha), 2024
• Just Climate Transitions, 2024 (online) - forthcoming
• Oxford Graduate Conference in Political Theory, Nuffield College, 2024 - forthcoming 
• “When Does Attachment Count? A Response from the Capabilities Approach”, presented at: 17th CEU Annual Doctoral Conference, Central European University (Vienna), 2022
• York Political Theory Workshop, University of York, 2022 (online)
• LSE Political Theory Graduate Conference, London School of Economics, 2022
• Society for Applied Philosophy (SAP) Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh, 2022
• XX Pavia Graduate Conference in Political Philosophy, University of Pavia, 2022

“An Extension to Natural Resources Justice: The Case of Animals”, presented at:

• MANCEPT Workshops - Animal Politics, University of Manchester, 2022

“Natural Resources and Capabilities” presented at:

• XI Braga Meetings On Ethics and Political Philosophy, Universidade do Minho, 2021 (online)
• XIX Pavia Graduate Conference in Political Philosophy, University of Pavia, 2021 (online)
• 8th Annual Post Graduate International Political Theory Conference, St. Andrews University, 2021 (online)
• Third Annual Amsterdam Grad Conference in Political Theory, University of Amsterdam, 2021 (online)

“Beyond theories of territorial rights: applying a capabilitarian framework to the redistribution of natural resources”, presented at:

• HKU Legal and Political Theory Postgraduate Conference, University of Hong Kong, 2021 (online)

Conference Organisation:

2022 University of York Political Theory Workshop The Politics of Territory and Climate Change (online)

Keynote speakers: Prof Margaret Moore (Queen’s University) & Prof Paulina Ochoa Espejo (Haverford College)

Commentaries:

• Discussant at Queen’s University – UHH Workshop on “Territory, Climate Change and Migration”, University of Hamburg, 2022

Teaching Experience

Teaching Experience

Senior Post Graduate Teaching Assistant:

• Foundations of Political Thought (Department of Political Science, University College London), Sep 2023 - ongoing

Graduate Teaching Assistant:

• Introduction to Political Theory (Department of Politics, University of York), January 2021 - June 2023
  • Department of Politics GTA Teaching Award (academic year: 2022/23)
• Introduction to Political Theory (Department of Politics, University of Manchester), January 2022 - June 2023

Certificate of Associate Fellow (AFHEA) against the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning in HE – date of fellowship: 06/10/2022

Funding

AHRC PhD studentship funding through the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH), 2020-2023

Doctoral Scholarship, Society for Applied Philosophy, 2021-2022