Transfer N.W. Posthumus Institute |
1 July 2026: N.W. Posthumus Institute moves to Leiden University |
After being hosted for five years by Utrecht University, because of the regular quintennial change of hosting institution, the N.W. Posthumus Institue will be moving to Leiden University per July 2026. Although the current staff will be dealing with 'business as usual' until 1 July, they will also start the transfer process to the new staff at Leiden University.
In a few day's time, you will receive a special edition of the Posthumus newsletter with more info on this transfer and its implications. |
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Posthumus website temporarily 'frozen' from 18 June |
The website of the N.W. Posthumus Institute will stay at its current webaddress. However, as the maintenance of the website also will move to the new penholder, some technical adaptaptions need to be made. To make this possible, our website will remain temporarily 'static' after 17 June 2026, meaning no changes to the content can be made for a limited period of time. In case of urgent messages you do need to communicate after 17 June, please contact us by mail and we will find a way to do this. We are striving to get the website reactived as soon as possible..
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Posthumus Summer School 'Crises and History' (Utrecht, 6-10 July 2026) - EXTENDED deadline registration 15 June 2026 |
After two successful previous editions, the N.W. Posthumus Institute will once more offer the Posthumus Summer School on ‘Crises and History’ on 6-10 July 2026. Dr Jessica Dijkman, associate professor at Utrecht University and Scientific Director of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, will deliver this Summer School, which aims to help students acquire the knowledge and skills to develop their own research ideas on this theme and select and use the methods and sources to carry out the research. Participation is free of charge, participants should register ultimately by the EXTENDED deadline of 15 June 2026.
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ESTER RDC 2026 to be held at KU Leuven (26-28 October 2026) - deadline abstracts 15 June 2026 |
On 26 to 28 October 2026 the 2026 edition of the ESTER Research Design Course (RDC) will be held. This year’s edition will be hosted by the KU Leuven under the guidance of Maïka De Keyzer. The N.W. Posthumus Institute (as secretariat of the ESTER Network) and the local organisers of KU Leuven welcome abstracts for this RDC. The RDC assists candidates in setting up a high quality and well-designed plan for their dissertation under the guidance of a team of senior researchers and research design specialists whose task it is to provide comments and feedback. Candidates wishing to participate are requested to send in their application and abstract no later than 15 June 2026.
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Valedictory lecture Professor Jan Kok |
| On 25 June 2026, Jan Kok, Professor of Economical, Social and Demographic History at the Faculty of Arts, Radboud University, and longstanding member of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, will deliver a valedictory lecture (in Dutch), titled ‘Homo Dipisiensis: Over de historische demografie van ontheemden’. The lecture can be attended in-person, in that case pre-registration is requested. The lecture will also be streamed online via the live stream of Radboud University. The N.W. Posthumus Institute is very grateful for all the efforts Jan Kok made over the years for the N.W. Posthumus Institute. |
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Valedictory lecture Professor Leo Lucassen |
| On 28 September 2026, Professor Leo Lucassen, Professor of Global Labour and Migration History at the Leiden University Institute for History, director of the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam, and longstanding fellow of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, will deliver his valedictory lecture titled ‘Wat hebben we eigenlijk aan u?’ Historische migratiestudies in tijden van polarisatie’ The lecture can be attended in-person, in that case pre-registration is requested. The lecture will also be streamed online via the live stream of Radboud University. The N.W. Posthumus Institute is very grateful for all the efforts Leo Lucassen made over the years for the N.W. Posthumus Institute. |
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Instituut Gak-KNAW Award 2026 awarded to Posthumus alumnus Rosa Kösters |
| On 1 June 2026, Posthumus alumnus Rosa Kösters, postdoc researcher at the Interantional Institute of Social History, was awarded the Instituut Gak-KNAW Award 2026 for her research proposal ‘Van onderen! Sociale zekerheid tussen burgerinitiatief en innovatie, 1960–2025’. The Instituut Gak-KNAW Award is annually awarded by the Instituut Gak and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) to talented young researchers, to support their research on topics of social security and the labour market. The award consists of a 3-year appointment as postdoc researcher with one of the KNAW institutes. The N.W. Posthumus Institute congratulates Rosa with this award! |
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Successful Posthumus Book Workshop in Leiden |
On June 4th, a book workshop was held in Leiden bringing together around 15 participants. Maarten Prak, Janna Coomans, and Wendy Wauters shared their experiences with writing and publishing both academic and trade books. The workshop was highly interactive, with participants discussing their own book proposals, exchanging ideas in small groups, and receiving practical tips and feedback on developing a successful book project.
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Looking back at the Posthumus Conference 2026 |
On 21 and 22 May, the International Institute of Social History (IISG) was the location of the Posthumus Conference 2026. Supported by an enthusiastic team under the guidance of Ulbe Bosma, over 140 participants joined the conference and enjoyed the presentations of Posthumus PhDs and fellows, the keynote lecture by Professor Sven Beckert, the poster presentations by the PhDs of cohort 2025, and the opportunity to meet one another at the social events during this meeting. Special feature this year was the TSEG Essay Prize 2025, which was awarded to Sanne Hermans for her essay ‘All you see is the past. De historicus als therapeut van de samenleving’.
The N.W. Posthumus Institute thanks all participants for joining the conference and the IISG team for the hospitality. We can also announce that the 2027 edition will be held in Leiden; exact dates and locations will be announced in due time! |
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Masterclass ‘Social Histories of Dutch Colonialism in the Indian Ocean World’ with Professor Nigel Worden (Nijmegen, 24 June 2026) |
| On 24 June 2026, the research groups ‘Colonial Relations and Structures’ and the ‘Radboud Group for Historical Demography and Family History’ (both Radboud Institute for Culture and History), in cooperation with the N.W. Posthumus Institute, organise the masterclass Masterclass ‘Social Histories of Dutch Colonialism in the Indian Ocean World’. Keynote speaker at this masterclass will be Emeritus Professor Nigel Worden (University of Cape Town). The aim of the workshop is to bring together Dutch junior and senior researchers working on social histories of VOC territories in the Indian Ocean World. Also, Dr Kate Ekama (Stellenbosch University) will present her new ‘Project 1834’ during the break of this lunch seminar. |
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Public Lecture ‘Project 1834' by Dr Kate Ekama (Nijmegen, 24 June 2026) |
On 24 June 2026, Dr Kate Ekama (Stellenbosch University) will deliver a public lecture on the brand-new ‘Project 1834’, which relates to Stellenbosch University’s broader transformation policy and efforts toward research, restitution, and social justice. Dr Kate Ekama is a Senior Researcher at Stellenbosch University and the Laboratory for the Economics of Africa’s Past (LEAP). The lecture is delivered as part of the Masterclass ‘Social Histories of Dutch Colonialism in the Indian Ocean World’ held on the same day and organised by the research groups ‘Colonial Relations and Structures’ and the ‘Radboud Group for Historical Demography and Family History’ (both Radboud Institute for Culture and History), in cooperation with the N.W. Posthumus Institute,.
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Bijeenkomst Werkgroep Stadsgeschiedenis (Roermond, 12 juni 2026) |
| ~ because of scope in Dutch only ~ De Werkgroep Stadsgeschiedenis organiseert in juni twee bijeenkomsten. Na de bijeenkomst op 4 juni on Leiden over ‘Nieuw onderzoek naar stadswording in de middeleeuwen en vroegmoderne tijd’ plaats, vindt op vrijdag 12 juni 2026 vvanaf 10:30 uur een stadswandeling plaats in Roermond, om 13:00 uur gevolgd door voordrachten over het thema ‘Stadswording in Limburg en het Overkwartier van Gelre: 1000 jaar steden- en huizenbouw’. |
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Call for applications Postgraduate Summer School Fondazione 1563 (Turin, Italy, 17-19 September 2026) – deadline 15 June 2026 |
| The Fondazione 1563 per l’Arte e la Cultura welcomes applications for the Postgraduate Summer School ‘Needs, Justice, and the Wealth of Nations: The Moral and Material Foundations of Political Economy in the European World (1500-1800)’, that will be held on 17-19 September 2026 in Turin, Italy. This Summer school explores the debates and policies that gave rise to political economy as a field of inquiry. The Summer School will focus on three interconnected axes: 1) Subsistence, Sociability, and the Problem of Order, 2) Production, Power, and the Uneven Wealth of Nations, and 3) Rights, Justice, and the Legitimacy of Economic Life The summer school is open to doctoral students and early-career researchers working on the history of political economy and related fields. Applications should be submitted ultimately by 15 June 2026, 10:00 PM CET. |
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Call for papers 2026 Special Issue Economic History of Developing Regions – deadline abstracts 16 August 2026 |
Posthumus fellows Dr Ameury de Vicq, Professor Jutta Bolt (both University of Groningen), and Professor Oscar Gelderblom (University of Antwerp) welcome abstracts for a special issue of the Routledge journal Economic History of Developing Regions they will be editing. This special edition will focus on the theme 'Business and Financial History of Colonialism', especially regarding the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Abstracts (400-600 words) should be submitted ultimately 16 August 2026. Final papers by the selected authors will be due on 28 February 2027; publication of this special issue is to be expected early 2028.
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Call for papers 2026 Special Issue Journal for the History of Environment and Society – deadline 31 August 2026 |
The editorial board of the Journal for the History of Environment and Society (JHES), among whom a large number of Posthumus fellows, invites submissions for its 2026 Special Issue, dedicated to exploring the role of the Low Countries as both a place and an actor in global environmental history. Welcomed are contributions that illuminate how local environments, knowledge, institutions, ecologies, and material flows in the Low Countries were shaped by — and in turn shaped — distant environments around the globe. Papers should be in English, have a length of 8,000–10,000 words, and will be double-blind peer reviewed. Papers should be submitted ultimately by 31 August 2026.
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Call for sessions proposals WEHC 2028 Conference (Montevideo, Urugay, 24-28 July 2028) - deadline 14 September 2026 |
| The 21st World Economic History Congress will convene from 24 to 28 July 2028 in Montevideo, Uruguay. The theme of the 2028 edition is 'World Powers and Conflicts', which highlights central issues facing humanity today and connects to a broad and diverse range of historical problems, particularly those concerned with resources, inequality, and sustainability. Sessions may be proposed by any member of the international economic history community, whatever their institutional affiliation or status, as well as by scholars in related disciplines. Sessions proposals should be submitted ultimately 14 September 2026 via the call's webpage. |
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Congratulations to our PhDs recently promoted! |
Dr Bram Hilkens (Erasmus University Rotterdam) on the thesis ‘Living off the Land? Land Inequality in Early Modern Holland, 1543–1708’. Supervisors: Dr Daniel R. Curtis (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Professor Angelique Janssens (Radboud University), and Professor Paul van de Laar (Erasmus University Rotterdam). (22 May).
Dr Dinos Sevdalakis (University of Groningen) on the thesis 'Tracing the roots of population growth: Fertility and mortality transitions in West Africa (1880-1980)'. Supervisors: Professor Hilde Bras and Dr Adrien Remund (both University of Groningen). (8 June). |
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PhD Defence Posthumus alumnus Max-Quentin Bischoff (University of Antwerp, 10 June 2026) |
| On 10 June 2026, Posthumus alumnus Max-Quentin Bischoff will defend the PhD thesis ‘Merchants’ Futures: Plans and expectations in the Tucher family company, c.1520-c.1550′ at the FelixArchief to obtain his PhD at the University of Antwerp. Supervisor is Jeroen Puttevils (University of Antwerp). Drawing on the annotation and analysis of 178 letters, the dissertation explores how the Tuchers anticipated, discussed, and managed future developments in commerce, organisation, and family strategy. Please note that the defenece will be at the FelixArchief in Antwerp. The N.W. Posthumus Institute wishes Max-Quentin a successful defence! |
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This is the final regular newsletter composed by the Utrecht Staff of the N.W. Posthumus Institute. Over the past five years, we enjoyed communicating with you via (inter alia) this medium and we hope you enjoyed it too. We are glad that our experienced colleagues in Leiden will take care of business from 1 July 2026 onward. We thank you, our reader, for subscribing to and reading our newsletter; your subscription will be continued via our Leiden colleagues, you do not have to do anything yourself. And now... time for some nostalgia and reminiscing (you may recognise the song, but this is the less known orginal...)
Kind regards, Jessica Dijkman, Rogier van Kooten, René van Weeren |
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Credits images: Pictures Posthumus Conference: René van Weeren. Photo Writing hands: rawpixel.com Picture Claude François: Youtube |
You will receive this newsletter because you are a student, fellow, or affiliate of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, or because you signed up for this newsletter. This newsletter is sent to you via the mailing system of Utrecht University. |
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