Angus Mol is a University Lecturer at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society.

More information about Angus Mol

Angus combines the study of history using a digital approach with the study of how today’s digital cultures are entwined with history. In particular, he looks at how contemporary play functions as a mirror of the past as well as how games can be used to democratize access to the past. He has authored several papers on the topic and crowd-funded , an Open Access edited volume with chapters from scholars and professionals from the creative industry.

Since his BA and MA in Archaeology, Angus has also had a keen interest in projects that combine social theory, material culture, and digital tools. For instance, he uses network analyses and agent-based models to explore and explain how things and people are entangled over time. The focal point lies on gift-giving across cultural and social boundaries, owing to his PhD and Postdoc research on networks in the culturally diverse, indigenous and colonial Caribbean.

For Mol, the value of digital approaches resides in their use as theory and as tool, and his classes focus on understanding concepts as well as practice. Students will be taught a variety of tools, including network analysis, GIS, information visualization, databases, 3D visualization, and media production, in connection with case-studies or key issues from the breadth of the human and social sciences. Angus is a firm believer in the potential of the past as well as digital technology to positively impact science and society. As a result, knowledge dissemination, public outreach, and current issues feature heavily in all his courses.

Angus is co-founder of VALUE, a foundation that develops and supports initiatives at the interface of academia and video games. Recently, he has worked as the Digital Strategy Coordinator for the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development. Before that, he was an NWO-Rubicon, Postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Department of Anthropology. He also undertook post-doctoral research at Leiden University and was a visiting researcher at Konstanz University as part of the NEXUS1492 project.

For more information on Angus his research, teaching, and outreach, see his personal website.

Publications