Alicia Schrikker appointed professor of Dutch History in the World
Appointment
The Executive Board of Leiden University has appointed Dr Alicia Schrikker as Professor of Dutch History in the World, effective 1 January 2026. The chair is based at the Institute of History (Faculty of Humanities).
Despite its new name, the chair has a long history. It is the chair in Dutch History, which until recently was held by Professor Henk te Velde. The chair dates back to Robert Fruin, who was appointed Professor of National History in 1860.
The new name reflects the Institute of History's desire to study Dutch history in a global context and in relation to the colonial history of the Netherlands. ‘Over the past twenty years,’ says Alicia Schrikker, ‘I have been involved in various aspects of Dutch colonial history, particularly in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. This appointment will enable me to further embed this layered history of colonialism and slavery in the Netherlands.’
Professor Judith Pollmann, chair of the Dutch and Colonial History group, says: ‘Our team is delighted with this appointment. It gives an important boost to the reintegration of Dutch history with that of the colonies. This work had already been started by Henk te Velde, but he is now Dean of the Faculty. Under Alicia Schrikker's leadership, we can really maintain momentum.’
Thanks to generous financial support from two parties outside the Faculty – an anonymous donor and the Leiden University Fund (LUF) – this appointment was possible despite a hiring freeze in the Faculty of Humanities.
The LUF is committed to contributing to this position in order to continue the research commissioned by Leiden University and the municipality into their colonial and slavery history. ‘The Leiden University Fund, which was founded in 1890, is explicitly mentioned in this research,’ director Lilian Visscher explains. ‘With our financial support, we are giving Alicia Schrikker the opportunity to investigate the various aspects of Dutch colonial history.’
Profesor Herman Paul, Scientific Director of the Institute of History, is delighted with this external support: ‘Without this support, we would have had to leave an important chair vacant. We are very grateful to the generous donors: it is fantastic that Alicia Schrikker can now take up a teaching position that is important for our entire institute.’