Dr K.J.A. van Zon (Koen)

Koen van Zon is a political historian who specializes in the history of the European Union. In 2020, he received his PhD from Radboud University (the Netherlands) on the question of the democratic legitimacy of the European Community institutions during the 1950s and 1960s. Previously, Koen worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University (the Netherlands) on the history of consumer representation and activism in the EU and on a project on grassroots environmental protests aimed at European institutions at Studio Europa Maastricht.

Generally, Koen’s research revolves around the history of the relation between European citizens and EU institutions. His specific interests include institutions, political representation, social movements, regulatory politics and environmental history.