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PhD/RMA Council

The RMA/PhD Council of the Huizinga Institute forms the link between the Institute’s student community, the board and the programme committee. Its main task is to represent the students’ interests to align the Institute’s curriculum, research networks, and other events to the students’ wishes and needs. The Council gives feedback on the curriculum and proposed new courses, organizes social events, and is there to support and communicate students’ ambitions, concerns, or ideas.

The Council is made up of both RMA and PhD students from different Universities and with various (historical) research interests. At the moment, the Council is represented by:

Laetitita Lai (PhD candidate, Open University of the Netherlands)

Laetitia Lai is a PhD candidate at the Open University of the Netherlands. Laetitia’s research focuses on the colonial legacies of collecting the human body, exploring transdisciplinary approaches to researching and caring for sensitive materials in Dutch museums. Laetitia seeks to contribute to expanding provenance research and rethinking museum practices in response to contested collections.

Leah Niederhausen (PhD candidate, University of Humanistic Studies

Leah Niederhausen is conducting PhD research into the restitution of colonial archives. Leah studied European Studies and Global History in Münster and Amsterdam and then worked at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies. Leah is interested in the production of historical memory, narratives, and knowledge through restitution and questions of reparation and historical justice at large.

Juan Bouw (Research Master student, University of Amsterdam)

Juan Bouw is a Research Master’s student in History at the University of Amsterdam. Juan holds a BA in History from Leiden University. Juan’s research explores how minority communities navigated and negotiated their place within dominant power structures in early modern Europe. By combining social and cultural history, Juan examines how these encounters shaped identities, influenced policy, and fostered cultural exchange across different societies.est

Pia van de Schaft (Research Master student, Radboud University)

Pia van de Schaft is a Research Master’s student in Historical, Literary and Cultural studies at Radboud University. Pia’s research pertains to Early Modern notions of gender diversity, investigating the relationship between medical discourses and Enlightenment thought.

Holden Carroll (PhD candidate, University of Amsterdam)

Holden Carroll is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, having embarked in 2024 on the ‘Sonic Histories of Foreign Relations’ project. Holden has been using archived sound recordings alongside the textual record to research the roles played by radio and other sound technologies throughout Unesco’s early activities in the postwar period. Holding an MPhil in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge and a BA in Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal, throughout academia Holden been focused on critical histories of the international “system” and new frontiers of enquiry in international studies.

Zacharoula Mouzouri (Research Master student, University of Groningen)

Zacharoula Mouzouri is a Research Master’s student in Modern History and International Relations at the University of Groningen, holding a BA in History. Zacharoula specializes in conflict studies, with a particular focus on societies living through conflict and so far centering on the Cyprus issue, exploring how memory and emotion shape identities and political imaginations in divided communities. Zacharoula has developed a growing interest in oral history, drawn to its power to shed light on lived experiences, while grappling with the profound ethical complexities it raises in contexts marked by trauma, and is deeply invested in the practical implications of international relations and historical research, and how they can inform policy, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution.

Would you like to know more about the Council and how it can support you? Or would you like to become involved? The Council is welcoming new members! Just contact the Council via e-mail!

Upcoming activities:

  • TBA

Previous activities