‘Walls of Peace’ and memories of conflict in Belfast

Peace-building by building walls? In Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, guided tours to a 3-kilometer-long wall have become a ‘must do’ on the tourist’s schedule. The memorial wall reveals the slow process of reconciliation.

Gerard Persoon • May 02, 2016 • 1 comment

Will women talk about the war?

How do women talk about violent experiences? How can we understand women’s stories of war without reproducing stereotypes of female victimhood or subservience? Rosi Aryal won the Speckmann award with her MA research on war time violence in Sierra Leone.

Rosi Aryal • February 16, 2016

The anthropologist and the key

This year’s ‘Veldwerk NL’ students revealed the importance of the key in anthropological research. It not only symbolises access, it creates possibilities to break down prejudices and pave the way to constructive human interaction.

Nienke van der Heide • February 05, 2016

Beards and holy sites: Competing over True Islam in Kyrgyzstan

Who has the right to wear a beard? Which holy sites are fit for worship? Competition over religious symbols in Kyrgyzstan is deeply intertwined with the political and economic turmoil that has swept the country since the breakdown of the Soviet Union.

Nienke van der Heide • September 08, 2015 • 2 comments

The Anger of Athens

On July 15th, Metje Postma was caught up in the angry demonstration in Athens against Parliament’s impending vote to agree to Tsipras's deal with EU leaders. The protest got out of hand and was broken up by the police using tear gas.

Metje Postma • July 20, 2015

“In my childhood we only played with empty shells” - Reporting from the frontlines

Vager Saadullah is a journalist and political analyst, living in Duhok - the KRG region in North Iraq. I interviewed him in April about his life experiences in this region and his views on the war with the Islamic State and the future of Kurdistan.

Wendelmoet Hamelink • May 13, 2015

Mali’s Heritage: Beyond Timbuktu

Mali is in the news because of the deployment of Dutch military personnel. Media coverage conjures up images of the 2012 destruction of Timbuktu’s World Heritage mausoleums and mosques. Might heritage also have a role in bringing peace and national unity?

Henrike Florusbosch • June 04, 2014

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