A coalition of Amsterdam-based Archives, Museums and Historical institutes, with the support of the Insinger Foundation, has taken the initiative for a five-year programme that offers three two-month long fellowships per year for curators, archivists and historians in the field of slavery history, starting in the second half of 2024.
The fellowships are open to professionals working on the history of slavery in the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Indonesian archipelago, linked to the Dutch involvement in slave trade and slave labour.
The attention to the Dutch colonial slavery past has increased considerably over the last years. Communities that were subject to the contemporary ramifications such as systemic racism pushed for acknowledgement and changes in perspectives and priorities within academic institutions, museums and archives. The questions, perspectives, and expertise of young professionals from societies affected by this colonial slavery past and its knock-on effects in the Americas, Africa, and Asia are essential to inform contemporary debates about and dealing with the slavery past. The fellowships aim to support this group of young professionals.
Fellows will be based at the International Institute of Social History and will be linked to their counterparts working in one of the Amsterdam Institutions united in the GSHF coalition: Allard Pierson Museum/UB, Amsterdam Museum, Black Archives, IISG, NINSEE, Rijksmuseum, Stadsarchief Amsterdam, UvA, Wereldmuseum
Each year the programme can accommodate three fellows in April–May and three in October–November.
The fellowship is meant to exchange perspectives and views between the fellows and their Amsterdam counterparts related to the history of slavery. At the end of each fellowship period there will be a public event where fellows and their Amsterdam counterparts reflect on the experiences gained during their stay.
The organisers will provide accommodation, travel costs and health insurance, and a monthly allowance of 1,500 EUR.
