Since 2002, Ninsee (the National Institute of Dutch slavery history and heritage) operates as the center of knowledge and expertise on the Dutch history of slavery. It organizes educational projects and memorial activities, and operates as a platform for debate.
In 2009, I worked on a research project on resistance acts of enslaved female workers in the former Dutch colonies Surinam and the Dutch Caribbean. By resisting, the enslaved Africans exposed their grieves about the system of slavery. Examples are escape attempts, riots, and marronage. However, resistance actions of enslaved women in the Dutch colonies have been understudied compared to resistance acts of enslaved males. This research project therefore aimed to investigate and identify rebellious enslaved women and their resistance acts.
The findings resulted in a research report and the drama Rebelse Vrouwen, which played in Dutch theaters in 2013. Here you can find the interview with me on this research. Additionally, I wrote an article based on these results in cooperation with dr. Aspha Bijnaar and dr. Katharina Joosen. The article is published in the volume Caribbean Crime and Criminal Justice: Impacts of Post-colonialism and Gender (Routledge 2018).
