Mary-Anne Nicolaas MA

PhD Candidate

Cohort/Start PhD: 2025-2026

From slavery to citizenship: The development of civic rights in Commewijne, Para and Paramaribo 1770-1930

University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH)
Duration of appointment: 2024-2028
Title overarching project: How slaves became citizens: Proto-citizenship, empowerment, and inequality in the Age of Emancipation, 1770-1930

This project explores how proto-citizenship developed in colonial Suriname between 1770 and 1930, and how it shaped the social, legal, and political lives of enslaved people and their descendants. This period witnessed major internal transformations, including the rise of a free non-white population, increasing Dutch-state involvement and the abolition of slavery, all of which influenced how civic rights were accessed. Central to this project is how proto-citizenship emerged during slavery and how differing local experiences in Commewijne, Para, and Paramaribo shaped trajectories toward citizenship.

Supervisors

Primary supervisor: Dr. Karwan Fatah-Black
Promotor: Prof. Peter van Dam
Co-promotor: Prof. Rosemarijn Hoefte

Contact details

UvA mail: [email protected]
Leiden mail: [email protected]
KITLV mail: [email protected]