On 5 July, Utrecht University is organising a morning programme on research into slavery history. Representatives of the Surinamese-Caribbean community, staff and students will join the conversation about research on slavery at Utrecht University, the university’s own part and the contemporary effects of the slavery past.
Programme
Joyce Sylvester will deliver an introduction. She is chair of the State Commission against Discrimination and Racism. And she is also Academic Fellow of the Faculty of Law, Economics, Governance & Organisation.
This will be followed by short presentations by researchers and students. Recently, research on slavery history and related topics has been carried out in various ways. With poster presentations, students show their results.
An important part of the programme will be conversations with attendees about this research and the impact of the slavery past to this day, both within the university and beyond. Utrecht University itself has had links with slavery. Do we have sufficient insight into this part of our history? What can and should we do with the legacies of slavery? This talk will be led by Migaisa Poeketi, board member of Keti Koti Utrecht.
The complete programme will be on the web page about traces of slavery soon.
Committee
In spring 2023, Utrecht University formed a committee tasked with connecting and making visible various faculty initiatives around the university’s slavery past. The committee, led by James Kennedy, will explain on 5 July how the university intends to account for its slavery past in the coming period and discuss this with those present.
Register
Those interested are most welcome and can register from now on.
