Willem van Wijk is a PhD-candidate and lecturer at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden University. He holds a BSc & MSc in Cultural Anthropology, enhanced with academic coursework in critical museology, philosophy, fine arts, and public administration.

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In the broadest sense, his doctoral research focuses on democratizing museum praxis challenging authoritative heritage discourse, as well as the employment of 'diversity displays' and their associated conceptions of home. As a lecturer, his responsibilities include teaching, tutoring, and supervising undergraduate students.

Additionally, Willem has worked in several national museums for over a decade in various capacities. As a museum anthropologist, his passion lies with the material worlds we humans manage around us. He is particularly interested in the ways objects, collections, and displays mediate the collective constructions of who 'we' are. His research interests include debates around cultural representation, repatriation/return/restitution of cultural heritage, and the decolonization of museums.