The craft of history is much like necromancy (nekrós + manteía, roughly: 'divining with the dead'). We seek out ancient tomes and dabble in complicated methodologies to invoke the dead. If we manage to ask the right questions, we may even conjure up entities from bygone worlds to help us divine our world's mysteries.
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Historiography and necromancy usually revolve around the human animal. Human actors pervade our stories, real and imagined, and the startling diversity of nonhuman creatures that has been tangled up in our lifeworlds often remains overlooked.
My objective is to forge different narratives. Aiming to look beyond solely human considerations, I foreground the manifold, often surprising ways we have co-created and co-evolved with other species, past and present. I strive to understand why we often look to other animals to make sense of what it means to be a human animal. My stories trace, interrogate, and challenge anthropocentric values to help us envision more sustainable futures. |
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This 'prickly' process is rewarding even when it is not feasible (or necessary) to digest everything. Those ideas can still take root over time, generating unexpected avenues for research and perhaps even inspiring others, just as the medieval hedgehog - according to some descriptions - shared the fruit of her labour with her kin.
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Hedgehogs & PorcupinesThe hedgehog/porcupine allegedly rolled around in heaps of fruit, collected it on their prickles, and then carried the spoils to their lair. Unlike medieval people, I do not consider these creatures thieves or symbols of avarice. Instead, I see this animal fiction as an apt representation of my research process: to explore various ideas, revel in the sources, and thus gather a wealth of ideas to carefully digest over time.
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The past is unfinishedOur relations to other animals are rooted in ancient, systemic patterns of thought and practice. In my research and teaching, I always seek to connect what might seem to be a distant, bygone past to goings-on in the present. As historian, I strongly believe that knowledge of who we once were can offer us a glimpse of who we could be. I also appreciate that researchers never truly operate in a vacuum. That is why I am passionate about public engagement: it provides meaningful opportunities to converse and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and respond to societal issues. |
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Affiliations |
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At present, I am a PhD Researcher at the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society of the University of Groningen. I have experience teaching BA and MA students and supervising student assistants. I am also an active member of the faculty's PhD Council and its Faculty Council.
Additionally, I am a member of the Environmental Humanities Group Groningen, the Huizinga Institute for Cultural History and the Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion (NOSTER), the Royal Netherlands Historical Society (KNHG), and the Association Villard de Honnecourt for the Interdisciplinary Study of Medieval Technology, Science, & Art (AVISTA).
I also work as coordinator of the Dutch Studies educational programme for international (exchange) students at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen. I oversee the day-to-day operations as well as the longer-term vision of the programme, I manage the budget, and I coordinate several Dutch Studies courses myself.
Previously, I obtained a Bachelor in History at Ghent University (2016, cum laude) and a Research Master in Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Groningen (2020, cum laude). Prior to my research career, I have worked in various roles within higher education, with a particular focus on internationalisation.
Additionally, I am a member of the Environmental Humanities Group Groningen, the Huizinga Institute for Cultural History and the Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion (NOSTER), the Royal Netherlands Historical Society (KNHG), and the Association Villard de Honnecourt for the Interdisciplinary Study of Medieval Technology, Science, & Art (AVISTA).
I also work as coordinator of the Dutch Studies educational programme for international (exchange) students at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen. I oversee the day-to-day operations as well as the longer-term vision of the programme, I manage the budget, and I coordinate several Dutch Studies courses myself.
Previously, I obtained a Bachelor in History at Ghent University (2016, cum laude) and a Research Master in Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Groningen (2020, cum laude). Prior to my research career, I have worked in various roles within higher education, with a particular focus on internationalisation.
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ExperienceMy previous roles and work experience in academia.
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AwardsSelected funding, awards, and distinctions I obtained.
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DevelopmentMy education and continued professional development.
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