Nieuws

05-01-2026

An opinion article in The People's Tribune, written by Francio Guadeloupe (KITLV) and journalist and novelist Pedro de Weever on Maduro, Venezuela, Trump, and the implications of the new "Donroe doctrine" for the Caribbean and wider South Americas. Guadeloupe and De Weever focus in their article on the fictive island of "San Cristobal".

01-01-2026

In het interview 'Hoe luid stilte kan zijn; Hedendaagse sporen van het koloniale en slavernijverleden' met Isa Last in Impact Magazine, een magazine over psychosociale gevolgen van ingrijpende gebeurtenissen, vertelt Esther Captain (KITLV) over de doorwerking van het koloniale en slavernijverleden in het heden.

15-12-2025

KITLV and Framer Framed are delighted to announce Jay Afrisando as the new Atelier KITLV-Framer Framed Artist in Residence. The artist will develop a project in the intersections of activism, art, and archive. The Atelier Artist in Residence program aims to sponsor and support concrete, innovative, provocative and societally relevant projects. 

11-12-2025

‘Sjahrir is hier’ is een vierdelige podcast waarin documentair fotograaf Isabelle Boon met KITLV-researcher Fridus Steijlen op zoek gaat naar één van de belangrijkste voorvechters voor een onafhankelijk Indonesië en eerste premier van de republiek: Sutan Sjahrir. In hun zoektocht gaan ze in gesprek met kenners, betrokkenen en Sjahrir’s familie.

20-11-2025

On 22 October Dr. Harry A. Poeze (KITLV) and Prof. Dr. Bernard Arps (Leiden University) received the Anugerah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2025 from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture as a reward for their lifelong dedication to Indonesian studies and cultural preservation. The Anugerah Kebudayaan Indonesia (Indonesian Cultural Award) celebrates those who dedicate their lives to preserving, developing, and promoting Indonesian heritage. 

13-11-2025

During the Island(er)s at the Helm end conference 'New perspectives on climate challenges in the (Dutch) Caribbean' from 21-23 October at the University of Curaçao, our researchers presented their findings, reflected on the last four years of the Islanders at the Helm project and shared insights that matter for everyone living and working on any of the islands of St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.

10-10-2025

Het KITLV is vanwege het aankomende pensioen van een collega per 1 februari 2026 op zoek naar een Lid Management Team KITLV (0,4 fte) & Senior Onderzoeker Caribisch gebied (0,6 fte). Het lidmaatschap in het Management Team betreft een roulerende aanstelling voor een periode van zes jaar. De functie beslaat ongeveer 0,4 fte (15,2u per week) binnen een fulltime aanstelling. De rol wordt gecombineerd met de rol van Senior onderzoeker.

02-10-2025

This PhD project, carried out by Imelda Hoebes, examines the religious lives of enslaved people in the Dutch Cape Colony (17th–19th centuries) and explores how their spiritual practices are remembered or silenced in contemporary South Africa. Enslaved communities were subjected to Christian conversion under Dutch rule, yet they preserved and transformed their own spiritual practices, drawing on African, Asian, and Islamic influences.

01-10-2025

The Indonesian archipelago is home to hundreds of languages written in dozens of scripts. The writing traditions of these languages evolved differently and shifted in their use of scripts. To mention one, historically, the Malay language used to be written in Kawi, Javanese, Ulu, and Jawi scripts. Nonetheless, like most local languages in Indonesia, it tended to shift to Latin script post-independence of Indonesa.

01-10-2025

Despite being prohibited by law since 1971, race discrimination continues to exist in the Netherlands, making it harder for some people to find a job and increasing their likelihood of being arrested. Why is this? KITLV researcher Alison Fischer argues that white supremacy is deeply embedded in Dutch law and culture.

29-09-2025

KITLV onderzoeker Karwan Fatah-Black reflecteert in deze video op vragen over het werk van kunstenaar Dirk Valkenburg (1675-1721), een van de eerste Europeanen die inheemse en tot slaaf gemaakte mensen op Surinaamse plantages vastlegde, terwijl hij in Nederland jachtstillevens en portretten van welgestelde opdrachtgevers schilderde.

13-09-2025

The Indonesian news magazine Tempo made a short video channel in which the KITLV project on cyber troops and computational propaganda in Southeast Asia is being explained. In August the book Cyber troops: Influence operations and the future of Indonesia's democracy, a result of the project, was published in the Indonesian language.