Marian Leech

Master's student

'I chose to specialise in Museum Studies within the master's programme of Archaeology because I am interested in object-oriented histories that can engage with more deep-time perspectives. Museums are some of the most hegemonic institutions out there, so to reframe their practices and collections from the bottom-up (literally) breathes new life into the discipline.'

Lorna Dale Charles overview

Alumna

'After much research, I concluded that Leiden University was the best University particularly as there are a number of Professors working in the Caribbean. The knowledge I gained solidify my interest in learning more about Grenada's history. Additionally, receiving a scholarship from Professor Corinne Hofman made my decision much easier choosing Leiden University.'

'My training also enlightened me about the increasing neglect of Grenada’s history and the illegal removal of artefacts from important historical and archaeological sites. Throughout my studies, I became more aware of the history and politics of developed countries which reinforced the need to understand Grenada's history, my own country, even better. One stark difference I encountered in my studies was the level of seriousness developed countries placed on the preservation and teaching of history to its population compared to my own country.'

Genner Llanes Ortiz

Assistant Professor

"My research touches different aspects of Indigenous heritage, but I am particularly interested in the role of indigenous art forms – like music, cinema, video, and digital activism – in cultural and linguistic revitalisation. This means that my focus is on contemporary views of heritage. In this, I work in collaboration with my own people, the Yucatec Maya in Mexico, but also with people in other regions of the Americas."

Awareness

"I want to promote awareness of local (often indigenous) perspectives in archaeological and heritage research in Leiden. My goal is to show that if we want to understand the value of archaeological heritage and cultural history, we need to pay attention to the knowledge and perspectives that living people have about this. The more we integrate these different aspects of heritage, the better we will understand heritage."