Vereniging KITLV
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.
03-09-2025
Esther Captain vertelt in het NOS Radio 1 Journaal van 2 september jl. over haar leerstoel Intergenerationele Impact Slavernij en Kolonialisme aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Hoe werken slavernij en kolonialisme door op huidige generaties? Om die vraag draait de leerstoel van Esther Captain.
04-09-2025
Ward Berenschot, politiek antropoloog verbonden aan de UVA en senior onderzoeker bij het KITLV gaat in deze Indonesië podcast in gesprek met Edwin Mooibroek over de massale anti regeringsprotesten in Indonesische steden. Er zijn verscheidene doden gevallen, alleen al in Jakarta zijn 1200 mensen opgepakt.
26-08-2025
De leerstoel van dr. Esther Captain wordt namens de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) per 1 september 2025 ondergebracht bij het Departement Geschiedenis en Kunstgeschiedenis van de Universiteit Utrecht.
19-07-2025
By Adrian Perkasa: I first read about Djoko Pekik during the violent periods of Indonesian Reformasi through his iconic artwork, Indonesia 1998 berburu celeng (Indonesia 1998 Boar Hunting). His painting featured two guys hanging a boar after hunting, and hundreds, if not thousands, of people greeted them with diverse expressions.
13-07-2025
Adrian Perkasa writes in The Conversation about Indonesia’s plan to rewrite its official national history was initially met with positive responses, particularly for its goal of better serving the younger generation. But the project to reshape the country’s mainstream historical narrative soon ignited widespread controversy for overlooking underrepresented groups and reinforcing authoritarian tendencies.