AMSTERDAM — For the research project ‘Slavery past present: Dutch slavery and colonialism and their present-day impact’an amount of no less than 3.2 million euros has been made available. This subsidy is awarded from the National Science Agenda (NWA). The research is carried out by a large international consortium led by social scientist Alana Helberg-Proctor from the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
Colonial slavery has left deep marks in world history. Dutch slavery and colonialism still have an impact on today’s society, especially in Suriname and the Caribbean Netherlands. Despite formal apologies from the Dutch government, injustices persist and are largely absent from scientific research and public debate.
“Dutch slavery and colonialism still have an impact on today’s society, especially in Suriname and the Caribbean Netherlands.”
According to the researchers, the project will give an impetus to scientific and applied research into underexposed consequences of the history of slavery. This concerns project financing within the NWA Call ‘History of slavery: (underexposed forms of) consequences and perspectives’. It is carried out by various scientists from various universities and knowledge institutions at home and abroad.
Options for recovery
In the NWA project, Helberg-Proctor, who is an interdisciplinary social scientist at the UvA’s Anthropology department, and her (inter)national colleagues investigate the impact of slavery and colonialism. They explore possibilities for recovery from the perspectives of descendants of enslaved people and indigenous communities in and from Suriname, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, South Africa, Indonesia and the Netherlands.
Academic knowledge production about the effects of the Dutch slavery and colonial past has faced resistance and opposition within Dutch science, including within the UvA. As a result, this topic has not been sufficiently researched. This NWA grant can address this and close the academic knowledge gap.
According to a statement issued, the basis for the creation and renewal of the National Science Agenda lies ‘with citizens’. ‘The connection between society and science is essential in the NWA programme. Governments, researchers, social organizations and citizens jointly develop and use knowledge to achieve scientific and social impact. Finally, it is stated that ‘science communication is used to share knowledge in society to increase involvement and confidence in science’.
