We explore the movement of, and interactions between, humans and non-humans, across time and space. Where and how to belong is a multi-layered existential question, which requires scrutinizing why, how, and where people, other species, and objects move or stay.
Mobility impacts cultures and religions, states, governments and institutions, but also climates and the collective health of societies. And it may create spaces that are neither bound by borders nor by subjugation. We examine what aspirations drive mobility and immobility, and how both phenomena contribute to processes of identification and exclusion, within and beyond the nation-state, throughout colonial and postcolonial periods.
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 Indonesia.
This research examines how colonial history shapes language use in the Surinamese diaspora. As a result of migration, Surinamese people have established vibrant communities in various parts of the world, such as in the Netherlands, Curaçao and the United States. Within these diasporic spaces, language becomes a dynamic site where colonial legacies, cultural identity, and social belonging intersect.
In opdracht van de burgemeester en wethouders van Tilburg heeft het KITLV in 2022 een onderzoek uit gevoerd naar de koloniale en postkoloniale geschiedenis van de stad in samenwerking met Stadsmuseum Tilburg, Regionaal Archief Tilburg, het Textiel Museum, Tilburg University en vele Tilburgse inwoners.
In opdracht de gemeente Haarlem heeft het KITLV in 2022 een onderzoek uit gevoerd naar het koloniale en slavernijverleden van de stad in samenwerking met o.a. deskundigen van Intercultural Museum & Heritage Projects (IMHP) en Cultuursporen.
This project is a collaboration between several universities and societal and grassroot organizations in the Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The goal of the project is to come to a more inclusive understanding of Europe.
The aim is to establish an audiovisual archive of everyday life in Indonesia during the 21st century, and to conduct research on daily life through this archive. To this end recordings are made in Jakarta, Delanggu (Central Java), Payakumbuh (West Sumatra), Kawal (on the island of Bintan), Sintang (West Kalimantan), Bittuang (Tana Toraja on Sulawesi), Ternate, and Surabaya.
Female Islamic leaders are gaining in prominence. So far, research has been restricted to the role of women in Islamic textual traditions. This project investigates how female Islamic authorities in Malaysia and Indonesia make use of visual images to communicate with their audience and in doing so challenge dominant gender relationships within Islam.
Dit project (2022-2024) is uitgevoerd naar aanleiding van de motie Ceder door het Koninklijk Instituut Taal-, Land en Volkenkunde (KITLV) in Leiden (tevens penvoerder van het project), het Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis in Amsterdam, de Universiteit van Curaçao en het Nationaal instituut Nederlands slavernijverleden en erfenis (NiNsee) in Amsterdam.