Internship block 3: Utrecht and slavery

We are looking for 5 students to shape plans to account for the intertwined histories of university and slavery-based exploitation within the Faculty of Humanities through an internship. You will be supervised by 2 lecturers.

An internship allowance of €225,- per month applies. Application is possible until 31 October,

  • Lecturers: Leen Dorsman and Remco Raben
  • When: block 3 (2022-2023)
  • EC: 7.5 EC (level 3)

What will you be doing?

In this internship project, you will investigate the possibilities of Utrecht University to give a place to the history and legacy of slavery in relation to the university. Questions such as: what can we at Utrecht University do with the legacies and consequences of slavery and the slave trade? In which way can this history be made relevant to the university community and the surrounding society?

The project will be set up as a Community Engaged Learning project, focusing on experiential learning and collaboration with community partners. In the project, you will work in dialogue with the 'community' (inside and outside the university) to develop plans for dealing meaningfully with the past of slavery. A logical starting point is the history of the buildings that mainly house the faculties in the city centre. Many of these houses have historically been owned by people who got rich in the colonies or through participation in plantation slavery.

What do we want?

We are looking for students who

  • can work well in a team;
  • feel involved in the history and commemoration of slavery and colonialism;
  • have an interest in the topicality of history;
  • have an interest in making history and heritage public;
  • be enterprising and able to take responsibility.

All Humanities students are welcome.

More information and application

For more information, please contact Remco Raben,

You can apply until 31 October 2022 at the latest by sending a letter with your motivation and a curriculum vitae to Remco Raben.

sfeerbeeld stage Utrecht en de slavernij

Background

In the Netherlands, there is increasing attention and knowledge about the interconnectedness of Dutch society and slavery. In June 2021, for example, the book Slavernij en de stad Utrecht (in Dutch) was published. This examined for the first time the links between the city community of Utrecht and slavery. 

It prompted the university to also examine its own links with slavery. In February 2022, the report Rekenschap geven (in Dutch) was published, in which a committee commissioned by the Executive Board gave an initial overview of the university's possible involvement with the history and legacy of slavery.