NIAS–NIOD–KITLV : Fellowship - Moving objects, Mobilising Culture in the Context of (De)colonization

The Fellowship Moving objects, Mobilising Culture enables researchers and heritage practitioners from formerly colonised countries to access and conduct research on (collections of) objects – whether defined as cultural, historical, ancestral, art or otherwise – which are currently (lost) in the Netherlands, as well as on related archives and documentation. The fellows are invited to actively use, reflect on and engage with these collections, but are also encouraged to explore and (re-)establish connections with related communities, collections and sites in the country of origin or other countries. Fellows are encouraged to follow queries regarding the social histories and valuation of objects, in relation to or beyond questions of restitution, and to seek for the signification of objects and their trajectories in space and time, beyond the framings of heritage institutions or national histories.

The Fellowship is designed to enable selected candidates to use their stay in the Netherlands to prepare, develop or realise autonomous research agendas, that may or may not lead to restitution requests by countries of origin, and to explore opportunities for innovative and societally relevant research on the social life of moving objects in the context of broader debates about the history, nature, and future of heritage.

The Fellowship hosts two fellowships in the academic year 2025 – 2026 (September 2025 to end January 2026) of five months each. The host and accommodating institution is NIAS (Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences). NIOD (Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies) and KITLV (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeastja Asian and Caribbean Studies) will provide structural support and supervision.