As Utrecht University, hosting institution of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, will be closed from 20 December 2025 until 5 January 2026, the N.W. Posthumus Institute will also be closed during this period.
The staff of the N.W. Posthumus Institute wishes you pleasant December Holidays and all the best for the New Year! |
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Professor Sven Beckert keynote lecturer at Posthumus Conference 2026 (21-22 May 2026, IISH, Amsterdam) |
| The IISH, as conference organiser, and the N.W. Posthumus Institute are happy to announce that Professor Sven Beckert (Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University) will deliver the keynote lecture at the Posthumus Conference 2026. This year's theme will be 'Global Capitalism', which connects strongly with Professor Beckert's most recent publication 'Capitalism: A Global History', published in November 2025 with publisher Penguin Group USA. The conference website is under construction, but will be updated regularly. |
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Posthumus Cohort 2025 kicks off in Utrecht |
| On 2 and 3 December 2025, the PhD students of cohort 2025 of the N.W. Posthumus Institute PhD Training Programme kicked off their programme with Seminar I. The semiar took place at the inspiring location of the University Museum Utrecht. The PhDs presented their research plans for the coming years and received useful comments by both peer and senior commentators. We thank all PhDs and senior commentators for their contribution and are already looking forward to Seminar II (16-17 April 2026, Vrije Universiteit Brussel). |
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Recent changes PhD representatives N.W. Posthumus Institute |
| Recently, there have been some changes in the group of PhD Representatives of the N.W. Posthumus Institute. Hannelore Braeken will take the place of Dinos Sevdalakis, who is now focusing on completing the PhD trajectory at the University of Groningen. Hannelore Braeken is a PhD candidate at the Economic and Social History section of Leiden University. She is researching loneliness with individuals with mild intellectual disabilities. Also, Wouter Raaijmakers has been asked to join the group of PhD representative as new fifth PhD, with a special focus on the needs and interests of the external PhDs, as the current cohorts of the N.W. Posthumus Institute comprise a significant number of external PhDs (buitenpromovendi), Wouter works as external PhD in Economical, Social and Demographic History at Radboud University. We thank Dinos for all his efforts over the past years and we welcome both Hannelore and Wouter as new PhD representatives! |
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Change of Coordinator 'Life-courses, Family, and Labour' |
| Because Evelien Walhout has accepted another position, her place as coordinator of the Research Network 'Life-courses, Family, and Labour' will be taken by Mayra Murkens. Mayra Murkens obtained a PhD from Maastricht University on the thesis ‘Unequal pathways to the grave?’, which focused on the decline of infectious diseases among various social groups in Maastricht and now works as Assistant professor at the University of Groningen with a specific focus on historical demography, social history, and the history of medicine. We thank Evelien for her efforts as coordinator and welcome Mayra to this position. |
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Hybrid launch new ESTA data & TIDES / documentary screening Slave Island (IISG, 12 December 2025) - registration required |
| The International Institute of Social History invites you to join the Exploring Slave Trade in Asia (ESTA) Database’s second data launch on 12 December 2025. Main organisers are Posthumus PhDs Britt van Duijvenvoorde and Pascal Konings. The event is also supported by the Research Networks 'Routes and Roots in Colonial and Global History’ and 'Life-courses, Family, and Labour' of the N.W. Posthumus Institute. The ESTA data lay bare previously unrecorded slave trading patterns from newly added regions such as China, Southeast India, and Mozambique with an increased chronological coverage into the twentieth century. During the event, the ESTA team will also debut its data entry system, TIDES and researchers using these data will present their projects, among whom Posthumus PhDs Britt van Duijvenvoorde and Philipp Huber. There will also be a screening of the documentary 'Slave Island', which follows the activist Jeremy Kewuan in his quest to eradicate human trafficking from Sumba. Filmmaker Jimmy Hendrickx will join the event to introduce the documentary and answer questions from the audience. Participation on-site is free of charge, but is also possible via Zoom. In both cases, prior registration is required via e-mail. |
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STONEM Workshop: Connected by/with/to the Dutch (1900-2025) (Utrecht, 23 January 2026) - registration required |
| On 23 January 2026, the Research Team of the project 'Sustainability Trade-offs in the Netherlands’ Entangled Modernization (STONEM) 1900-2020' will organise the workshop 'Connected wit/by/to the Dutch (1900-2025)', supported by the Research Network 'Globalisation, Inequality, and Sustainable Development in Long-Term Perspective' of the N.W. Posthumus Institute. This workshop examines the concept of entangled histories in relation to the Dutch past and its global connections from 1900 to 2025. Confirmed speakers are Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk (Utrecht University), Pim de Zwart (Wageningen University & Research), and Frank Veraart (Eindhoven University of Technology). Prior registration is required because of catering and limited seating. |
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PhD Defence Posthumus alumnus Junhan Cao (Utrecht University, 25 February 2026) |
| On 25 February 2026, Posthumus alumnus Junhan Cao will defend the PhD thesis 'Property Rights and Agricultural Growth in Northwestern Europe, 1300–1800' at Utrecht University. Supervisors are Dr Jessica Dijkman and Professor Bas van Bavel (both Utrecht University). More info will follow in due time. |
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Publicatie Posthumus fellow Dries Lyna et al.: ‘Slavernij en de koloniale ketens van ‘s-Hertogenbosch’ |
~ because of scope in Dutch only ~ Posthumus-fellow en -bestuurslid Dries Lyna schreef samen met co-auteurs Kim Lempereur en Joris Martens het boek 'Vergeten verhalen: Slavernij en de koloniale ketens van ’s-Hertogenbosch', onlangs verschenen bij Radboud University Press. Stap voor stap ontrafelt dit boek hoe het kolonialisme de stedelijke bestuurders, bedrijven en gewone burgers uit de stad verbond met de verste uithoeken van het Nederlandse rijk en hoe die slavernij, die zich afspeelde in Oost en West, gaandeweg ook zichtbaar werd in het straatbeeld van ’s-Hertogenbosch. Het boek is Open Access te downloaden via Radboud University Press, maar verschijnt ook in paperback.
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Publication ‘Frontiers of Finance’ from Posthumus fellow Alberto Feenstra to be published with Brill Publishers |
| On 18 December 2025, Brill Publishers will publish Frontiers of Finance: The Political Economy of Public Debt in the Dutch Republic, authored by Posthumus fellow Alberto Feenstra. In this book, Alberto analyses the political economy of provincial public debt within the federal Dutch Republic. The book shows that the domestic effect of Holland’s financial revolution and Amsterdam’s subsequent rise to an international financial centre was limited. Instead, the fiscal and legal fragmentation caused differences in risk, capital supply, transaction costs and, consequently, borrowing costs. The merits of Holland’s financial revolution were thus not transferable to another context. |
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Publication Yearbook of Women’s History 2025 on 'Women and Ports', edited by Posthumus alumna Claudia Hacke et al. |
Amsterdam University Press has just announced the publication of the 34th edition of the 'Yearbook of Women’s History'. This year’s edition has as theme 'Women and Ports' and focuses on the role of women in the maritime sector. Diverting from the image of women passively waiting for men to return, this edition of the Yearbook of Women’s History argues that women shaped port-life as much as men. This year’s edition is edited by Posthumus alumna Claudia Hacke and co-editors Kirsten Kamphuis, Charlotte Meijer, Marleen Reichgelt, Iris van der Zande, and Irene Jacobs, and will be published both in paperback as in an online Open-Access version.
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LeidenGlobal course ‘Methodologies in the Social Sciences and Humanities’ (Feb-June 2026) – deadline 15 January 2026 |
The Leiden University Institute for Area Studies in collaboration with LeidenGlobal offers a twelve-week course ‘Methodologies in the Social Sciences and Humanities’. This course will allow beginning scholars to develop a critical understanding of methodologies in the social sciences and humanities. The course will run from February until June 2026. Successful participation is valued at 10 EC. Registration is open to Research Master students (who are required to register via MyStudyMap), as well as PhD students (who should register via the LeidenGlobal webpage). Deadline for registering is 15 January 2026.
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Blog ‘Historisch eten en koken’ van Posthumus fellows Patricia Van den Eeckhout en Peter Scholliers online |
| ~ because of scope in Dutch only ~ Posthumus-fellows Patricia Van den Eeckhout en Peter Scholliers (emeriti hoogleraren Vrije Universiteit Brussel) zijn gestart met een blog over de geschiedenis van de eetcultuur in West-Europa sedert de late 18e eeuw, ‘Historisch eten & koken’. Korte stukken van ongeveer 500 woorden behandelen thema’s die niet of amper aan bod komen in hun boeken en (wetenschappelijke) artikelen. |
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Call for papers Workshop 'The Economic and Financial History of Colonialism' (Groningen, 26-27 March 2026) - deadline 15 Dec 2025 |
| The second edition of the workshop series 'The Economic and Financial History of Colonialism', organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen and the University of Antwerp will take place at the University of Groningen on 26-27 March 2026. This year’s theme will be 'Diversity in Development: Colonial Legacies and Varied Paths of Growth' and invites contributions on new perspectives on how colonial economic and financial systems shaped long-term development trajectories across regions. The workshop aims to foster comparative and interdisciplinary dialogue on the mechanisms through which colonial institutions, fiscal regimes, and financial structures influenced the diversity of post-colonial growth experiences. Abstracts should be submitted ultimately 15 December 2025. |
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Call for papers – 12th Tensions of Europe Conference (Eindhoven, 8-10 July 2026) – deadline 4 January 2026 |
| The organisers of the 12th Tensions of Europe (ToE) Conference call for abstracts for this conference with as central theme ‘The meaning of the past in sustainable futures’. This conference will be held on 8-10 July 2026 at the campus of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and will be organised by the Eindhoven History Lab, part of the Technology Innovation and Society research group of TU/e in collaboration with the 4TU History of Technology center (uniting Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente, and Wageningen University & Research). Eindhoven and seeks to explore and discuss what it means for European and non-European scholars to write ‘European’ histories of ‘technology’ in a pluriverse world. Abstracts should be submitted ultimately by 4 January 2026. |
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Institute Gak-KNAW Award Postdoc Position – deadline 5 January 2026 |
The Institute Gak and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) invite talented early-career researchers to apply for a three-year appointment as a post-doc researcher at an Academy institute to conduct research on the labour market and social security in the Netherlands. Eligible for this award are post-doc researchers who obtained their PhD no more than five years ago or PhDs wjo will defend their PhD thesis not later dan in the month of April 2026 and who are working on innovative research in the fields of social security and labour market in the Netherlands. Applications should be submitted in Dutch via the dedicated application form, ultimately by 5 January 2026.
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Workshop 'Writing New Urban History' (Brussels, 16 January 2026) – deadline registration 10 January 2026 |
| The Centre for Urban History and the AIPRIL Centre of Excellence of Antwerp University jointly organise a workshop 'Writing New Urban History', related to the recent publication of the 3-volume 'The Cambridge Urban History of Europe'. The organisers seize this opportunity to look ahead to the future of urban history. For this workshop, several promising scholars (among whom several Posthumus-fellows) have been challenged to critically reflect on the New Cambridge Urban History of Europe as a companion to their own innovative research in the field. The workshop will be introduced by the editor if the publication and long-standing Posthumus fellow Maarten Prak. The workshop will be held at the premises of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) in Brussels. Attendance is free of charge, but prior registration is required. |
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Call for papers Workshop 'Channeling Middle-Class Savings, 1850-1940' (Antwerp, 29-30 June 2026) – deadline 15 January 2026 |
On 29 and 30 June 2026, the University of Antwerp and the Paris School of Economics will host the workshop ‘Channeling Middle-Class Savings, 1850-1940’, exploring the investment of middle-class savings between the second half of the nineteenth-century and the Second World War.
The organisers call for papers that deal with the expansion of savings banks and other financial institutions competing to attract household savings, the government’s involvement in the management and use of savings, as well as the investment decisions of individual households. Submissions should be submitted ultimately on 5 January 2026.
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Call for papers Special Issue ‘Blue Papers’ on Netherlands and the Caribbean – deadline 15 January 2026 |
| The editors of the academic journal Blue Papers invite contributions for a special issue focusing on the Netherlands (low and high regions) and the Caribbean. This special issue of Blue Papers aims to critically examine how both historical and contemporary practices towards water management can inform practical and scalable solutions that address sustainability challenges, including climate change and beyond. Particularly welcome are papers that move beyond documenting problems or historical traditional solutions and also propose actionable, context-sensitive solutions for sustainable water futures in both regions. Papers should be submitted ultimately 15 January 2026. |
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Historicidagen 2026 (Leiden, 27-29 August 2026), Call for papers – deadline 31 January 2026 |
| On 27-29 August 2026, the 2026 edition of the Historians’ Days [in Dutch: Historicidagen] will be jointly organised by the Royal Netherlands Historical Society (KNHG) and Leiden University in the city of Leiden. The Historians’ Days 2026 revolve around the theme of ‘Future of history’, and actively promote diversity within participants, audience, program, stories, methods and presentations. Those interested to present a paper at this conference, are invited to submit a proposal of no more than 250 words to the program committee between 1 December 2025 and 31 January 2026. |
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Already following us on Mastodon? |
As of 1 March 2024, the N.W. Posthumus Institute has started using Mastodon as social medium, following the decision to stop using X, formerly known as Twitter, actively for new announcements, as a result of the current developments surrounding the X platform. Do sign up with Mastodon and follow our account to keep updated frequently with new items and developments. Join us on Mastodon!
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Image credits: - Image first item: Picture of some elderly men wishing the viewer a happy New Year (dating from 1927). Source: Het Utrechts Archief, collection Nederlands Volksbuurtmuseum, coll. nr. 871609. Public Domain image. |
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