Dutch superiority the cause of so many Covid-19 infections?

Some people, including medical experts and politicians, imply that Dutch superiority causes so many Covid-19 infections. Erik Bähre reflects on the nationalist rhetoric that prevents the Netherlands from learning from other countries and undermines the legitimacy of democracy and human rights.

Erik Bähre • October 20, 2020 • 2 comments

The Color of Protection: Greening Port Cities in an Era of Rising Tides

Among the many things we need to make 'greener' are our infrastructures, including those protecting ports from sea level rise. But greening our coastlines has its own challenges, as Andrew Littlejohn explains.

Andrew Littlejohn • September 09, 2020

Beirut Blast: A port city in crisis

On 5 August 2020, the Lebanese capital and port city, Beirut, was rocked by a massive explosion that has killed hundreds and injured thousands more, ravaging the heart of the city’s nearby downtown business district and neighbouring housing areas, where more than 750,000 people live.

Maurice Jansen and Asma Mehan • August 18, 2020

Port cities as hubs of diversity and inclusivity: The case of Rotterdam

Port cities are a particular type of territory and are often long-standing examples of resilience, bringing opportunities, wealth, and innovation to their nations and their citizens. They have developed at the crossroads of international trade and commerce and the intersection of sea and land.

• July 22, 2020

A call to action

The protests around the world against racism, police violence and white supremacy spark much needed conversations. This blog calls to critically look at, and change, our own practices as anthropologists in the Netherlands and at Leiden University.

Anouk de Koning and Jasmijn Rana • June 15, 2020 • 3 comments

Co-labouring for Sustainability: the value of transdisciplinary collaboration between mining actors, artists and researchers

Co-labouring in research projects generates new perspectives and creates shared experiences and moments of enjoyment. Reporting on a recent workshop in Ghana, Robert Pijpers and Sabine Luning show how co-labouring both bridges and reveals inequalities inherent in research practices.

Robert Pijpers and Sabine Luning • May 20, 2020

The overview effect

When astronauts gaze upon the Earth from space, they experience powerful feelings of global interconnectedness. This blog explores what this phenomenon, called ‘the overview effect’, contributes to understanding how the covid-19 crisis might expand the scale of social relations.

Coco Kanters • April 16, 2020 • 1 comment

Introduction: Leiden Anthropologists Reflect on the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus outbreak raises fundamental questions about the politics and narratives of crisis, as well as about our “ordinary” everyday lives and sociality. Irene Moretti and Annemarie Samuels introduce a collection of blogposts of Leiden Anthropologists reflecting on the pandemic.

Annemarie Samuels and Irene Moretti • March 23, 2020 • 1 comment

Should We Return to “Normal”?

What is the “normal life” politicians refer to when they mark the current crisis as a state of abnormality? Andrew Littlejohn raises the important question of whether we should want to return to our previous “normalcy”, or whether perhaps this normative order itself is deeply destructive.

Andrew Littlejohn • March 23, 2020