28-04-2025

The 15th Silvia de Groot Fund research granted was awarded to Charlene Jordan and Tanya Sitaram for their research on Suriname. The aim of the fund is to financially supporting young Caribbean students or researchers with their research on Caribbean history or culture.

Dr. Silvia W. de Groot Fund

The late Dr Silvia W. de Groot, historian and lifetime honorary member of the Members Association / Vereniging KITLV left a legacy to KITLV with the aim of financially supporting young Caribbean students or researchers, preferably of Maroon descent, with their research on Caribbean history or culture. An annual amount of € 10,000 is available to be spread over one or several applicants.

The Silvia de Groot Fund is managed by the Vereniging KITLV.

Winners 15th SdG Fund grant

The winners of the 15th Silvia de Groot research grant are Charlene Jordan and Tanya Sitaram. Charlene received a grant of € 3370 for her research on 'The natural dye colours of Winti: Cultural influences, chemical analysis and preservation of Suriname's Afro-spiritual textile heritage pre-1850'. Tanya received a grant of € 6150 for her research 'Trapped in letters and petitions: Emotional narratives of Hindustani contract workers in Suriname, 1873-1921'.

Charlene Jordan
The natural dye colours of Winti: Cultural influences, chemical analysis and preservation of Suriname's Afro-spiritual textile heritage pre-1850

Charlene’s PhD research in History of Art (University of Glasgow) investigates the provenance and cultural significance of natural red dyes in the production of Winti textiles in Suriname during slavery. It seeks to analyse the chemical composition of natural dyeing materials and the historical and cultural context of their use by the enslaved population. This project applies methodologies from chemical heritage science, textile history and ethnobotany in the analysis of materials from museums, botanical collections, and archives. By investigating traditional resources and dyeing methods, this project aims to reproduce the colours that have historically characterised Winti textiles to recreate a significant element of Suriname’s cultural heritage. 

Charlene Jordan obtained her Bachelor and Master of Science in Chemistry with Colour Science from the University of Leeds. After 6 years of working as a professional colour chemist, she decided to return to the academy: she is currently a doctoral student in the History of Art department (University of Glasgow) working on chemical analysis of natural dyes used on historical textiles using 17^th – 19^th century literature.

Tanya Sitaram
Trapped in letters and petitions: Emotional narratives of Hindustani contract workers in Suriname, 1873-1921

This study examines how the emotional experiences of Hindustani contract workers in Suriname and Trinidad were expressed and shaped, mainly through correspondence between migrants and their families in India (letters, petitions and ego documents). Letters were not only a practical means of communication, but also an outlet for feelings such as homesickness, care for family and hope for reunion. Where migration history often emphasizes the economic and physical aspects, this study focuses on the emotional dimension.

This study contributes to the historiography of migration letters and provides insight into how personal narratives within archival documents can give a voice to underexposed histories. By taking a subaltern approach, these underexposed voices are given a place in the historiography of migration. The study compares emotional narratives from Surinamese archives with those from Trinidad for a broader reconstruction of colonial history and the role of letters in maintaining emotional ties.

With the grant from the Dr. Silvia W. de Groot Fonds, archival research will be conducted in Trinidad, where, as in Suriname, unique archives and historical sources are present that directly relate to the emotional narratives of Hindustani contract workers in the region, including documents from the archives of the Agent-General for Immigration.

Tanya Sitaram is director of the Library of the Anton de Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS). Earlier she worked for about 20 years at the National Archives of Suriname. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communication and a Master's degree in History, specializing in Hindustani migration and contract labor (and in particular in Women's History). Sitaram is a lecturer at various educational institutions, including the AdeKUS, the Institute for Teacher Training (IOL), and the Academy for Higher Arts and Cultural Education (AHKCO), where she teaches History and Archival Science. Additionally, she is the secretary of the National Museum Committee Suriname. She is currently an external PhD candidate at the AdeKUS and the Radboud University Nijmegen and is conducting research into emotional narratives of Hindustani contract workers.