Events

April 2025

Sun 20 April 2025

In deze online lezing vertelt Jasper de Bruin, conservator Collectie Nederland in de Romeinse tijd, over een van de mooiste glasvondsten uit Romeins Nederland: een ribkom van gemarmerd glas uit Nijmegen. Hij vertelt hoe dit soort glazen kommen werden gemaakt, de datering van de kom en de vondsomstandigheden bij Nijmegen. 

Tue 22 April 2025

IIAS workshop | Taiwan's Cultural and Public Diplomacy

A full-day workshop to explore Taiwan's public and cultural diplomacy. Sessions focus on the development of Taiwan's public diplomacy, the lasting impact of Dutch colonial rule, the role of ethno-religious and LGBTQ+ issues, the power of literature, and the importance of community involvement.

Wed 23 April 2025

Lecture | ‘Tikitoki’ or ‘Tikutoku’?

About 200,000 Brazilian Portuguese-Japanese bilinguals live in Japan. Both languages repair disallowed sound combinations by adding a vowel, /i/ in Brazilian Portuguese and /u/ in Japanese. Tim Laméris explores whether bilinguals keep these repair rules separate or combine them.

Thu 24 April 2025

Seminar | Hollandsdenken Dekoloniseren

Fenneke Sysling laat zien hoe 'Hollandsdenken’ koloniaal denken was, gericht op het behoud van de kolonie, economische winst, en het imago van Nederland in de wereld. Ze bespreekt hoe we een goede geschiedenis van wetenschap kunnen schrijven met aandacht voor koloniale regio’s.

Thu 24 April 2025

Lecture | Experimentation, Extraction, and Survival in Beirut

In this LUCIS lecture, Harry Pettit investigates how cash circulates in the platform economy in Beirut, Lebanon. He specifically looks at the struggles between platforms and companies which try to extract profit and workers trying to survive within a prolonged economic crisis in Lebanon.

Thu 24 April 2025

KITLV Seminar | Maroon anti-necropolitics

In this hybrid talk, Stuart Strange explores Maroon anti-necropolitics and its role in creating a decolonial Caribbean ecological theory. He highlights Ndyuka Maroon principles of relational justice, rejecting human sovereignty and emphasizing collective responsibility to address multispecies justice.

Thu 24 April 2025

Workshop | Collecting sustainability for Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

In this workshop, students help the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave explore how to collect items that represent scientific development today. The museum is working on an exhibition about sustainability and wants to collect objects that show sustainable development or the need for it.

Thu 24 April 2025

RMO boekpresentatie | In staat van beleg

Aeneas’ 'In Staat van Beleg' is voor het eerst naar het Nederlands vertaald. Het is het eerste militaire handboek uit de Europese literatuur, een ‘doe-het-zelf-boek’ over oorlog uit de vierde eeuw v.Chr. Vertaler Henric Jansen en dr. Luuk Huitink, classicus aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam, presenteren het boek deze avond in het RMO.

Thu 24 April 2025

Lecture | The dynamics of contact-induced change and language shift

Lenore Grenoble discusses how languages change when speakers shift to a dominant language, using data from Arctic language communities in northeastern Russia. She shows that changes in grammar and language use are not random but often systematic and shaped by the language’s own structure.

Thu 24 April 2025

IIAS lecture | Myanmar youth activism since military coup

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In this hybrid lecture, Maaike Matelski (Assistant Professor VU Amsterdam) reflects on her recent discussions with youth activists from Myanmar who are resisting the 2021 military coup. She discusses their agency and ideologies in the face of serious domestic challenges and decreasing international support.

Fri 25 April 2025

Symposium | Japan between the East and the West

This symposium debates Japan’s influence in the current fast-changing global landscape, and its role as a power navigating between the East and the West. Leading academics and think-tankers examine Japan's strategic positioning, foreign policy priorities and its diplomatic approach. Location: The Hague.

Fri 25 April 2025

Lecture | The Price of Freedom

Pouwel van Schooten discusses the freeing of slaves in eighteenth-century Galle, Sri Lanka. The lecture is part of the Histories Connected 2024-2025 series by the Leiden Institute for Area Studies and the Institute for History. This lecture series aims to explore social, cultural, and political issues that connect people of Asia, the Middle-East, Africa, the Americas, and Europe through time.

Fri 25 April 2025

Lecture | European Space Policy

Otylia Trzaskalska-Nuebel (senior advisor in European Space Agency) talks about the European space policy. This lecture is part of the European Union Seminar Series in which MA-students get to meet experts from EU and international institutions and learn more about the current challenges the EU is facing.

Fri 25 April 2025

Seminar | A Visual History of Post-1945 Migration

Rebekka Grossmann explores how Cold War ideas of globalism and solidarity connected to refugee experiences after World War II. She focuses on photo exhibitions and books, often made for children that promoted unity and liberal values. She explains how these stories of former refugees shaped wider cultural debates.

Mon 28 April 2025

Symposium | Spirit Travels in Western Religious Traditions

This symposium is called "There and Back Again: Spirit Travels in Western Religious Traditions". Dr. Bastiaan van Rijn and Dr. Sarah Perez talk about spiritual animal magnetism (an alternative healing method) and reality shifting (a popular spiritual practice centered around the wish to shift one’s consciousness to other realities).

Mon 28 April 2025

Lecture | If You Encounter Strife, Return to Yemen

Many Yemeni refugees in Djibouti (East Africa) defy UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) expectations by returning home despite risks. Nathalie Peutz explores their reasons, such as lack of future prospects, education, work, or family ties. She also highlights the failures of refugee integration and the complexities of displacement.

Wed 30 April 2025

Lecture | No one is a censor: Editorial Choices in China

Svetlana Kharchenkova discusses how Chinese book editors consider the potential consequences of publishing a book. She explores the role of the public in censorship practices. This enables us to understand how complicity in censorship happens in China’s book publishing.

Wed 30 April 2025

Seminar | Buddhist Commodification and Digitalization in China

Since 1980, Buddhism in China has gone through a revival. Kai Shmushko discusses the economic and technological parts of this revival to understand how Buddhism is practiced in China today. She explores how Buddhist items are made and sold, and how modern technology is used by lay Buddhists to practice their faith.

Wed 30 April 2025

Lecture | Tradition and Transformation

Monika Hinkel explores the rich history and evolution of Japanese woodblock prints, tracing its journey from the vibrant prints of the Meiji period (1868-1912) to the innovative works of mokuhanga in the 20th century. She examines how woodblock printing adapted to modernization, Western influences, and changing cultural values in Meiji-era Japan.

Wed 30 April 2025

Lezing | Nationalisme: een wereldgeschiedenis

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Eric Storm spreekt over zijn nieuwe boek 'Nationalisme: Een wereldgeschiedenis.' Hij gaat eerst kort in op de belangrijkste inzichten die zijn boek heeft opgeleverd. In het tweede deel van de lezing bespreekt hij de heropleving van het nationalisme sinds de late jaren zeventig. Met het neoliberalisme en de globalisering kwam toen ook de identiteitspolitiek op en zo het radicaal-rechtse populisme.

Wed 30 April 2025

Symposium | Wereldverbeteraars of zolderkamergeleerden?

In het kader van het 450-jarig bestaan van Universiteit Leiden organiseert Leidschrift een symposium met als thema: 'Wereldverbeteraars of zolderkamergeleerden? De rol van de universiteit binnen de maatschappij.' Tijdens het symposium reflecteren verschillende sprekers op de relatie tussen de universiteit en de maatschappij door de eeuwen heen.

May 2025

Thu 1 May 2025

ASCL Seminar | African perspectives on peace- and statebuilding

In this hybrid seminar, Tim Glawion (Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institute) explores how people in conflict-ridden parts of Africa, such as South Sudan and the Central African Republic, think about peace and the role of the state. He shows how their views often differ from what statistics say they need.

Sun 4 May 2025

RMO lezing | Grafkisten van Gaoetsesjen

Daniel Soliman, conservator collectie Egypte en Nubië, vertelt over de met afbeeldingen en teksten beschilderde Egyptische grafkisten van een vrouw met de naam Gaoetsesjen. Ontdek in deze online lezing wat de versieringen betekenen, wat er in de teksten staat en hoe de kisten werden gemaakt.

Sun 4 May 2025

Event | Afrikaanse filosofie: consensus en democratie

Afrika kent een rijke filosofische traditie. In vier bijeenkomsten lichten studenten van het Leidse Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte, met ondersteuning van hun docent filosofie Pius Mosima, enkele centrale uitgangspunten en ideeën uit de Afrikaanse filosofie toe. Deze laatste bijeenkomst gaat over consensus en democratie.

Tue 6 May 2025

Lecture | Colombia’s Transitional Justice Model

The Colombian transitional justice model is one of the most complex and ambitious efforts to harmonize national peacebuilding with binding obligations under International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, and International Criminal Law. Juana Inés Acosta Lopez examines the legal architecture of this system.

Wed 7 May 2025

Seminar | Imagining the future of UK-Europe relations

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Mark Kaye examines his paper on how citizens on both sides of the Brexit divide imagine the UK’s future relationship with the EU and its role in a shifting global landscape.

Wed 7 May 2025

Lecture | Race and Ethnicity in Dutch Academia

Dutch Academia is international and diverse. However, the experience of staff of color is at best difficult to talk about, even though the lack of representation of staff of color in top positions is apparent. Aya Ezawa examines the work life and careers of academics of color in the Netherlands.

Wed 7 May 2025 - Fri 9 May 2025

Conference | Collaborative Authorship in Early Modern English Manuscripts

This three-day conference gathers researchers on early modern scribal culture and manuscript production. It focuses on literary texts, letters, and legal records and explores the agency and influence of scribes and manuscript users in shaping early modern manuscript production.

Thu 8 May 2025 - Fri 9 May 2025

Symposium | Rules for a lawless world?

This symposium explores the consequences of the China-USA rivalry on international law. It questions whether legal norms are breaking down, being violated, or replaced. It also investigates how this global power struggle impacts the vision for a law-governed world.

Thu 8 May 2025

RMO thema-avond | Macht van het volk

Het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden gebruikt de oudheid als spiegel in deze thema-avond om meer te leren over de democratie van vandaag. Wetenschappers praten u bij over de stand van de democratie in de wereldpolitiek en de rol van extreem rijke bedrijven en individuen hierin.

Thu 8 May 2025

Seminar | Women in the Gulf's digital platform economy

Crystal Ennis studies how digital work platforms connect to gender and the political economy of labour. She first discusses how a new Omani women's taxi service affects job opportunities for women. Then, she talks about how this kind of gig work is changing Asia's labour and migration systems.

Fri 9 May 2025

IIAS Roundtable | Politics and Cosmologies of Migrant Workers in Contemporary India

A roundtable discussion on the new book by Shankar Ramaswami 'Souls in the Kalyug: The Politics and Cosmologies of Migrant Workers in Contemporary India.' Based on years of engagement with workers in Delhi’s industrial factories, Ramaswami shows how they support each other in difficult circumstances.

Mon 12 May 2025

Lecture | The Tree as Weapon

Trees symbolize connection and identity but are also tools for control in Israel’s Negev/Al Naqab. Erella Grassiani examines how tree planting supports nationalist agendas, blending security policies with state-extremist collaborations to reshape land ownership and power.

Mon 12 May 2025

Seminar | Greek Processes of Dying

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Associate Professor Takashi Fuiji (Kyoto University) talks about her research on "Greek Processes of Dying: Transformation from the Hellenistic Period to the Early Empire." This seminar is part of the Ancient History Research Seminar series, focusing on the unification of the Mediterranean world (400BC-400AD).

Mon 12 May 2025

Seminar | Keeping the Nukes out, from Hawaii to Malta

Historian Maria-Kyveli Mavrokordopoulou (VU University Amsterdam) specializes in the relationship between art and science with an emphasis on nuclear technologies. In her talk she talks about 1980s antinuclear feminisms, in and through art. This seminar is part of the Peace Histories Seminar Series, focusing on how different actors, organisations, powers, and regions perceive peace.

Mon 12 May 2025

Online seminar | Translating with confidence

Alina Karakanta discusses how Large Language Models (LLMs) can help translators correct texts. She explores the impact of LLMs on translators' efficiency and the translation quality. She also talks about translators' trust in LLM corrections compared to human corrections.

Mon 12 May 2025

Lecture | Chinese and Russian self-praise on social media

Yaping Guo compares Chinese and Russian self-praise practices on social media. He explores how culture and norms of politeness impact their similarities and differences. This lecture is part of the Sociolinguistics & Discourse Studies Series by the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL).

Tue 13 May 2025

RMO lezing | Een Exclusief Inkijkje in 'Boven het Maaiveld'

In een hybride lezing biedt Ivo van Wijk als medesamensteller een unieke en exclusieve blik achter de schermen van de tentoonstelling 'Boven het maaiveld.' Deze expositie belicht de meest indrukwekkende en spraakmakende ontdekkingen uit 25 jaar Nederlandse archeologie.

Thu 15 May 2025

Symposium | De Middeleeuwen als inspiratiebron

Universitaire Bibliotheken Leiden organiseert een symposium naar aanleiding van de publicatie van het rijk geïllustreerde publieksboek 'Schatten op schrift, 50 manuscripten uit middeleeuws Europa.' Verschillende sprekers praten over hoe de middeleeuwen doorwerken in de moderne tijd. 

Thu 15 May 2025

Lecture | On Blinding Future Generations

Current generations face urgent environmental crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Catriona McKinnon explores how "intergenerational environmental blinding" may prevent future generations from fully understanding these issues. 

Tue 20 May 2025

RMO lecture | A Plundered Imperial Shrine

Elizabeth Marlowe (Colgate University) discusses a corpus of dozens of life-size bronze statues of Roman emperors and empresses that were looted in Turkey in the 1960s. These statues ended up in collections across the U.S. She discusses the site, the looting, and the resistance by some museums to return these statues.

Tue 20 May 2025

Lecture | Global Forces, Local Contexts, and Urban Environmental History

Matthew Vitz explores urban-environmental change by examining both local urban details and global patterns shaped by capitalism and colonialism. He offers a roadmap for a global urban environmental history, emphasizing the need for a more environmentally just future.

Thu 22 May 2025

Lecture | From Virtue to Money: The Concept of Trust in Stoic Ethics

Aistė Čelkytė explores how Epictetus compares virtue to money. She notes that Roman money changed from being based on valuable materials to money that only has value because people trust it. This shift shows the importance of trust in the Stoics' understanding of knowledge and social life.

Thu 22 May 2025

Lezing | Schrijversmythen

In de twintigste eeuw beïnvloedden schrijvers de publieke opinie en werden ze publieke figuren met grote maatschappelijke impact. Sander Bax bespreekt in deze hybride lezing hoe schrijvers hun identiteit vormgeven en de impact van schrijversmythen vandaag de dag.

Thu 22 May 2025

RMO lezing | De Kelten

Peter Schrijver (Universiteit Utrecht) spreekt over Kelten, hun talen en de vroege culturen van het Middellandse Zeegebied: Keltiberiërs, Lepontiërs, Galaten en hun buren. Ze ontwikkelden een karakteristieke cultuur, waarin overgeërfde, oer-Keltische elementen werden verbonden met lokale innovaties en invloeden van hun buren.

Fri 23 May 2025

Lezing | De jeugd heeft de toekomst

Judi Mesman en Ton Liefaard stellen dat de toekomst bij uitstek een thema is dat intergenerationeel bekeken moet worden. Ze praten met jongeren en jongvolwassenen over wat zij belangrijk vinden voor een rechtvaardige toekomst. Locatie: Kunstmuseum Den Haag.

Sat 24 May 2025

Lezing | Homo ludens: spelen met normen voor lichaam en geest

Joseph Jordan en Paul van Trigt (Universiteit Leiden) bespreken Johan Huizinga's homo ludens, de spelende mens. Ze praten over hoe mensen wier lichamen en geesten niet voldoen aan wat als normaal en beschaafd wordt gezien, aankijken tegen de spelende mens. Locatie: Kunstmuseum Den Haag.

Sun 25 May 2025

Leidse Wereldwandeling | Sporen van de Slavernij

Eeuwenlang was Nederland betrokken bij slavenhandel en slavernij, een geschiedenis van uitbuiting en racisme. Aan de hand van deze wandeling door de straten van de historische binnenstad van Leiden, leer je meer over deze geschiedenis. De wandeling is samengesteld door Mapping Slavery in Leiden i.s.m. het KITLV, de Universiteit Leiden en LeidenGlobal.

Mon 26 May 2025

Lecture | The Non-Religious Zaydi Literary Canon

Valentina Sagaria Rossi (University of Rome Tor Vergata) explores non-religious Zaydi writings by studying old Yemeni manuscripts. The Zaydis, a Shiʿite group that founded a state in Yemen in the 10th century, were central to the region’s politics. Her talk is part of the Leiden Yemeni Studies Lecture Series.

June 2025

Mon 2 June 2025

Lecture | CADS Spotlight

In this double lecture, Shajeela Shawkat and James McGrail talk about their PhD research. Shajeela explores art workshops as a research tool that can reveal how art promotes self-expression and identity. James explores how Singapore’s Muslims challenge AI governance, imagining alternatives beyond state control.

Tue 3 June 2025

Book talk | Romanian and Chinese cinemas

In this hybrid talk, Lucian Țion discusses his book on Romanian and Chinese cinemas, showing their shared socialist roots. By comparing films from Maoist China and Ceaușescu’s Romania, he challenges Western-centric narratives that dismiss socialist-era cinema as mere government propaganda.

Wed 4 June 2025

Seminar | The Complicit Politics of EU Migration Diplomacy

Sarah Wolff discusses the enabling role of EU politics in shaping migration diplomacy. Her lecture is part of the Leiden Interdisciplinary Migration Seminars, a series created to foster in-depth discussions on key migration-related issues.

Fri 6 June 2025

ASCL Conference | Fifty years of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States

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The CRG Governance, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusive Development Research Group holds a one-day conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific states (OACPS). The conference focuses on its evolution, operations, and activities.

Wed 11 June 2025 - Sat 14 June 2025

IIAS Conference | Africa-Asia, A New Axis of Knowledge

This conference aims to deepen discussions on the histories and connections between Africa and Asia. The conference is held in Dakar, Senegal, and highlights the city's cultural richness through a conference-festival that blends academia, society and the arts. 

Wed 11 June 2025

Symposium | Absence as artistic strategy in contemporary art

This symposium explores the theme of absence in contemporary art. From erasure and hidden narratives to negative space and invisibility, it examines how absence functions as a fundamental artistic strategy. Scholars and artists worldwide can share insights on this compelling subject.

Sat 14 June 2025

Symposium | Asian art and material culture

The Young Scholars’ Symposium in Asian Art 2025 takes place at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam with the title "Asian art and material culture: new ways of seeing." People in the fields of art history, material culture history, archaeology, environmental art history, architecture, anthropology, contemporary art, and design are welcome. 

Thu 19 June 2025 - Fri 20 June 2025

Conference | Grotian Law and Modernity in a New Age

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the publication of 'De jure belli ac pacis' by Hugo Grotius in 1625, this conference explores Grotius's role in the history of international law. The central focus is on evaluating how relevant his ideas are today, and what changes may be necessary. Location: The Hague.

Sat 21 June 2025 - Sun 22 June 2025

WML event | Matariki-weekend

Het Wereldmuseum Leiden leert je over Maoricultuur tijdens de viering van 15 jaar samenwerking met Toi Maori en The Dutch Waka Crew. Maori-gasten uit Nieuw-Zeeland en Engeland delen hun verhalen en gebruiken, en samen laten we de waka’s te water. 

Sun 22 June 2025

Leidse Wereldwandeling | Sporen van de Slavernij

Eeuwenlang was Nederland betrokken bij slavenhandel en slavernij, een geschiedenis van uitbuiting en racisme. Aan de hand van deze wandeling door de straten van de historische binnenstad van Leiden, leer je meer over deze geschiedenis. De wandeling is samengesteld door Mapping Slavery in Leiden i.s.m. het KITLV, de Universiteit Leiden en LeidenGlobal.

Thu 26 June 2025 - Fri 27 June 2025

Conference | Ælfric’s Afterlives: The Most Prolific Author of Old English

Ælfric of Eynsham (c. 955 – c. 1010) wrote Old English manuscripts on Grammar, Colloquy, Catholic Homilies, saint’s lives, and the Bible. His manuscripts have been extensively studied over the last thousand years. This conference engages with this prominent author’s afterlives.

August 2025

Mon 25 August 2025 - Wed 27 August 2025

Conference | Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics

This conference explores all kinds of aspects of African languages and linguistics. It also holds a special workshop on ‘Tone and intonation in African languages.’ The format of the conference is hybrid.

September 2025

Mon 15 September 2025 - Sat 20 September 2025

RMO lezingen | Week van het oude schrift

In de oudheid waren in het Middellandse Zeegebied en het oude Nabije Oosten diverse schriftsystemen in gebruik. In het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden staat de rijke schrifttraditie uit deze regio’s centraal. Experts geven zes lezingen over schriften en de talen waarin ze werden gebruikt.

October 2025

Thu 2 October 2025

ASCL seminar | On Africa and colonial discourse

Muyiwa Falaiye (University of Lagos) finds that colonialism is often perceived either as isolated episodes in Africa’s past or as a transformative force that has reshaped its societies, ways of thinking, and worldviews. In this hybrid seminar, he examines these narratives within the broader debate on decolonization.