Research project
Colonialism and Decolonization: Histories and Legacies
Research Network
- Duration
- 2026 - 2029
- Contact
- Carolien Stolte
- Funding
- Institute for History
The research network “Colonialism and Decolonization: Histories and Legacies” brings together LUIH colleagues who work on the history of colonialism and decolonization, broadly understood. The goal of the network is to convene researchers around this theme irrespective of their individual temporal or geographical research focus in order to showcase the breadth of the Institute’s research in this area. In addition, the network is intended to function as a community where research on the history of colonialism and decolonization comes together with research on colonial and postcolonial heritage. As new initiatives and collaborations on heritage-related themes continue to emerge, including with outside partners, the network functions as a hub that offers a broad array of expertise.
The history of colonialism and decolonization has long been a key strength of the Institute for History and this network builds on that tradition. Topics related to the global history of colonialism and decolonization have been addressed by the Institute’s historians for many decades, but they have re-emerged in recent years within public and political discourse in ways that have revitalized these topics. This has given rise to new approaches for addressing the role of colonial empires in shaping political, economic, and cultural change over time. Thanks to the Institute’s broad expertise in this area, this network will be able to combine new insights into early modern, modern, and contemporary histories of colonialism, and bring them in conversation with each other. In this way, the network will be able to bring deep historical knowledge to questions of continuing relevance to the (colonial) present.
