Research School for Economic and Social History

Author: René van Weeren

  • Conference ‘How did we lift the burden? Infectious Disease Mortality in the Western and Non-Western World (1800-now)’

    Conference ‘How did we lift the burden? Infectious Disease Mortality in the Western and Non-Western World (1800-now)’

    On 28 and 29 August 2025, the researchers involved in COST-Action network GREATLEAP, in collaboration with the Radboud University Nijmegen, the HiDo network, and the IUSSP Panel ‘Epidemics and Contagious Diseases: The Legacy of the Past’, organise the conference ‘How did we lift the burden? Infectious Disease Mortality in the Western and Non-Western World (1800-now)’ . Keynote speaker at this conference is Professor Sheilagh Ogilvie (University of Oxford).

    The conference is not only a closing event of the NWO-funded research project ‘Lifting the burden of disease. The modernisation of health in the Netherlands: Amsterdam, 1854-1926‘, but it also marks the end of the academic career of Professor Angélique Janssens, who directed the aforementioned project. The conference will therefore be concluded by a farewell reception.

    Registration for the conference and/or the keynote is required.

    MORE INFO

  • Farewell event and reception Professor Angelique Janssens

    Farewell event and reception Professor Angelique Janssens

    On the occasion of her retirement, the Radboud Group for Historical Demography and Family History is hosting a farewell event and reception for Professor Angélique Janssens on 29 August 2025.

    Angélique Janssens is endowed Professor of Historical Demography at Radboud University Nijmegen. Her chair, located at Maastricht University, was devoted to topics relating to gender and labour. She is specialised in the history of mortality, medical history and causes of death. She was the principal investigator in three major project over the past years: the SHiP Project, the NWO project ‘Lifting the burden of disease’, and the Citizen Science project for the History of Health. She is also former Scientific Director of the N.W. Posthumus Institute.

    You are kindly invited to join the celebrations for her retirement. For catering purposes, prior registration is requested.

    Please note that this event will be preceded by the two-day symposium ‘How did we lift the burden? Infectious Disease Mortality in the Western and Non-Western World (1800-now)’ with a keynote lecture by Professor Sheilah Ogilvie (University of Oxford).

    The N.W. Posthumus Institute thanks Professor Janssens for the efforts made by her for the N.W. Posthumus Institute.

    REGISTRATION

  • Publicatie boek ‘Dievenland: overleven in de middeleeuwen’ van Posthumus fellow Janna Coomans

    Publicatie boek ‘Dievenland: overleven in de middeleeuwen’ van Posthumus fellow Janna Coomans

    ~ because of scope in Dutch only ~

    Onlangs is bij Uitgeverij De Bezige Bij het boek Dievenland: overleven in de middeleeuwen van de hand van Janna Coomans, Posthumus fellow en coördinator van ons onderzoeksnetwerk ‘Economy and Society of the Pre-industrial Low Countries in Comparative Perspective’ verschenen.

    Op basis van tot nu toe onontdekte dievenbekentenissen verkent Janna Coomans de dagelijkse handel en wandel van de late middeleeuwen, waarmee dit boek een inkijk geeft in het leven van gewone mensen die geconfronteerd werden met instabiliteit en onzekerheid in de laatmiddeleeuwse Lage Landen.

    Het N.W. Posthumus Instituut feliciteert Janna met deze publicatie!

    WEBSITE UITGEVER

  • Posthumus board member Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk selected as new member KNAW

    Posthumus board member Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk selected as new member KNAW

    On its 217th anniversary, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has selected Professor Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk, also Board member of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, as new Academy member.

    KNAW Academy members are selected from a large number of nominations by expert juries in each scientific and scholarly field based on their excellent research combined with their importance in society as scientists.

    The KNAW states that Elise has been selected, because ‘Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk highlights the value of women’s work. Her research on topics including industry, sex work, and work in the home shows how crucial women have always been to the way society functions. Her focus is explicitly not limited to the Netherlands; she also positions her analyses in an international or colonial context. Van Nederveen Meerkerk works closely with researchers in other disciplines and ties in her historical research findings with contemporary social issues.’

    The formal installation of newly selected Academy members will be on 29 September 2025. The N.W. Posthumus Institute congratulates Elise with this appointment!

    MORE INFO

  • Pop-up Exposition and Conversation Piece – The Circle redrawn, Women at Work

    Pop-up Exposition and Conversation Piece – The Circle redrawn, Women at Work

    From 7 until 22 May 2025, a temporary exhibition can be seen in the University Library at the Drift: The Circle redrawn, Women at Work.

    This exposition is organised by an interdisciplinary group of researchers (among whom Dr Sara Carmichael, substitute Board Member of the N.W. Posthumus Institute and Sophie Vries MA, participant of the 2024 cohort of the Posthumus PhD Training Programme), all with a passion for researching the theme ‘Women, Work, and Well-being’, approached from various scientific disciplines that they work in . The idea for this Pop-up Exposition and Conversation Piece, is to bring attention to the still ongoing gender inequality at work in an original and engaging way.

    The exposition brings together (historical) visual material, current research findings and personal quotes. It shows how gender, work, and well-being are closely linked and how this relationship is influenced not only by government policies, such as parental leave or childcare, but also by everyday social norms and expectations about gender roles. The central focus is on the challenges women face balancing work and well-being in today’s Dutch society. The Pop-up exposition also shows how many of these challenges, such as the division of care work, are rooted in historical developments and cultural norms. Themes such as hormonal dynamics, a structural blind spot in workplace contexts, and the mental load of both paid and unpaid work are made tangible through thought-provoking panels.

    This pop-up exposition is made possible by the sector plan “Welfare, Participation and Citizenship in the digital World.” Researchers and lecturers from four faculties at Utrecht University collaborate to expand these important themes in research, education and in dialogue between academia and practice. The exposition can be viewed during the opening hours of the Utrecht University Library City Centre.

  • Successful PhD Defence Posthumus alumna Tessa De Boer

    Successful PhD Defence Posthumus alumna Tessa De Boer

    On 7 May 2025 Posthumus alumna Tessa de Boer successfully defended the PhD thesis ‘A Truth Universally Acknowledged. Dutch Investment in French Colonial Resources in the Eighteenth Century’ at Leiden University. Supervisors were Professor Cátia Antunes (Leiden University) and Dr Elisabeth Heijmans (University of Antwerp).

    Tessa’s dissertation focuses on Dutch investments in the French colonial empire in the eighteenth century. During this period, the French empire was encapsulated by a strict framework of protectionist legislation (the Exclusif), aiming to reduce foreign interference in and dependence on foreign resources to operationalize the empire. In spite of this, business entities in the Dutch Republic were able to actively participate in the French colonial economy. Furthermore, Dutch-supplied credit played an important role in the financial circuits of the French empire. The dissertation analyses the commercial, political and social strategies that effectuated these investments. On a broader scale, these prominent investments in the ‘empire of another’ (in this case France) prove that the Dutch involvement in the colonial past goes beyond the Dutch colonies alone.

    The N.W. Posthumus Institute staff congratulates Tessa with her PhD!

  • Posthumus Conference 2025 – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN – keynote lecture by Professor Tamara Herzog (Harvard University)

    Posthumus Conference 2025 – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN – keynote lecture by Professor Tamara Herzog (Harvard University)

    We are happy to announce registration for the Posthumus Conference 2025 website is now open! On 27 and 28 May 2025, the Posthumus Conference 2025 will be held in Nijmegen at Radboud University, hosted by Dr Dries Lyna and Dr Joris van den Tol.

    This year’s conference will be on the central theme ‘The People vs Structures’: this theme allows a reflection on how legal systems, institutions, and practices have influenced social and economic conditions, as well as how people have influenced these legal regimes.

    The keynote lecture at the Posthumus Conference 2025 will be delivered by Professor Tamara Herzog, Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs at Harvard University and Affiliate Professor of the Harvard Law School.

    The conference website will be regularly updated, so keep an eye on that website!

    CONFERENCE WEBSITE

    REGISTRATION FORM

  • Interdisciplinary Symposium in the Humanities ‘[ReMa]king Identity’ – register by 22 May 2025

    Interdisciplinary Symposium in the Humanities ‘[ReMa]king Identity’ – register by 22 May 2025

    The students of the Research Master’s programme in Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies at Radboud University invite students, postdocs and all others interestes humanistic research to join the Interdisciplinary Symposium in the Humanities on ‘[ReMa]king Identity’, to be held on 23 May 2025 at Radboud University.

    Identity is a fundamental concept in the humanities, shaping our understanding of culture, history, literature, and society. It influences how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we navigate the complexities of human experience. The symposium titled “ReMaking Identity” aims to explore the multifaceted nature of identity through an interdisciplinary lens, bringing together scholars and students to engage in meaningful discussions and debates.

    The symposium will feature individual lectures by Professor Julia Kühn (University of Groningen), Dr Christopher Green (Leiden University), and Professor Nanna Verhoeff (Utrecht University).

    If you want to attend this symposium, please register via the registration form (see button below) ultimately 22 May 2025.

    REGISTRATION FORM
     
    MORE INFO

  • 3rd ISRH Global Conference: ‘Migration in a World of Regions’ (webinar)

    3rd ISRH Global Conference: ‘Migration in a World of Regions’ (webinar)

    The International Society for Regional History (ISRH) invites scholars to submit abstracts for the 3rd ISRH Global Conference, ‘Migration in a World of Regions’, to be held in September 2025. The conference will be held online as webinar.

    This conference will explore the complex, multi-faceted relationship between migration and regions across history, geography, and culture. Keynote lecturers are Professor Toyin Falola , Professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, at the University of Texas, Austin, and Dr Samira Saramo, Senior Research Fellow at the Migration Institute of Finland and an Associate Professor of Cultural History at the University of Turku.

    Abstracts should be submitted ultimately 10 June 2025.

    MORE INFO

  • 8th Amsterdam Symposium on the History of Food – registration open now!

    8th Amsterdam Symposium on the History of Food – registration open now!

    On 5 and 6 June 2025, the 8th Amsterdam Symposium on the History of Food will take place at Allard Pierson, University of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Symposium on the History of Food is the bi-annual international point of assembly and an exchange of knowledge in the field of food history in the Netherlands. This year’s symposium will be on the theme ‘Food and the City’ and is a special edition because it takes place in the 750th anniversary year of the city of Amsterdam.

    The conference will feature presentations on topics ranging from historical food markets and culinary labor to contemporary urban agriculture and food justice movements. In addition to academic sessions, the program includes presentations and roundtables designed to spark conversation across fields.

    The keynote lecture at this year’s symposium will be delivered by Professor Kate Brown, the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    Registration is now open for the 8th Amsterdam Symposium on the History of Food. A participation fee will apply; for more info on the various fees and registration, visit the conference website via the button below.

    FULL INFO