On Wednesday, 16 September 2026, from 3 tot 5 pm, the Huizinga Institute kicks off the academic year 2026-2027 with a festive Year Opening at Utrecht University Hall (Academiegebouw). The central theme of this event will be ‘Activating Non-Written Sources in Cultural History’.
Programme (preliminary)
| 15:00–15:30 | Arrival with coffee and tea |
| 15:30–15:40 | Word of welcome by Arnoud Visser, Academic Director HI |
| 15:40–15:50 | Caroline Kreysel (VU) ‘The water is our forest’. Researching swamp histories in Brazil and the Netherlands through oral histories |
| 15:50-16:00 | Thijs Elfrink (Huygens ING) Exploring reconstruction and re-enactment to examine early modern salting and pickling technologies |
| 16:10–16:20 | Luc Marraffa (UvA) On Ethics and Transcriptions: developing methodologies for activating sound recordings of colonial radio broadcasts |
| 16:20–16:55 | Panel talk, followed by a brainstorm regarding wishes, opportunities, and points of improvement for the HI |
| 16:55–17:00 | Closing words by the RMA/PhD-council |
| 17:00 | Drinks |
Registration
All members – (future) RMA, PhD candidates, seniors – are warmly invited to attend, but because of limited seating and catering purposes, registration is requested via this form.