Timo Peeters is Assistant Professor of Criminology at the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. He draws on qualitative research methods, and especially ethnographic research, to study the workings and impact of social inequality, violence and crime in Latin America and the Netherlands. He holds a master’s degree in both Criminal Law and Criminology.

More information about Timo Peeters

Research

In his doctoral work, Timo studied the way people from different social classes in Guatemala City give shape and meaning to their lives in a context of extreme inequality and high levels of violent crime. It is based on eight months of ethnographic research. In 2023, he was awarded the dissertation prize of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation and in 2024 the Willem Nagel Prize by the Dutch Society of Criminology for best dissertation in the field of criminology.

Preceding this research, he carried out prolonged fieldwork in Quito in two different studies, which included a project in which he portraited everyday life in a marginalised neighbourhood and a wealthy gated community together with a photographer.

Currently, he is working on a book project in which he compares daily life in two port cities: Guayaquil (Ecuador) and Rotterdam.

Teaching

Timo teaches the courses ‘Organisations in Law Enforcement’ in the master's programme Criminology and Security Policy and ‘Public and Private Policing’ in the Crime and Criminal Justice master's programme. He also supervises bachelor's and master's theses.

Publications