Call for papers: The Histories of (Post-)Colonial Universities in the Netherlands

This 2-day workshop will explore the colonial and postcolonial entanglements of higher education in the Netherlands, with room for comparative explorations focused on higher education across the global north and south, exploring parallels to and linkages with colonial centers of knowledge across empires and from the early-modern to the modern era. The aim is to bring together researchers and professionals already working on similar projects relating to the colonial and postcolonial histories of universities in the Netherlands, while also inviting new perspectives. The purpose is to create a forum for in-depth discussion amongst researchers and professionals working on the topic who may have not otherwise encountered one another. This is based on the observation that a number of universities in the Netherlands and elsewhere have now started to explore research into their colonial pasts, but, that, so-far there has been a lack of coordinated discussion on the topic within and between these universities.

Questions that will be addressed include: how are these legacies of empire still present in 21st century institutions? How have the colonial histories of Dutch universities influenced and contributed to lasting divides and inequalities regarding the development of higher education between global north and south? What colonial legacies of the Dutch and other empires are there to be found in universities in countries like Indonesia and Suriname? How can we engage in a sustainable decolonization of our institutions?

Read the full CFP here