A little about me

When I started to study history (UGhent), my goal was to become an investigative journalist. This stemmed from the urge I felt to write with and about vulnerable people: people I have been committed to for a long time. My experiences through volunteer work made me interested in historical dynamics of in- and exclusion, which resulted in an infatuation with the broad study of the contemporary presence of the past. Academically, this resulted in a second-year research project on the stimulation of a European cultural identity in relation to migrants, and a BA thesis on the use of history by the far-right party Vlaams Belang. After completing my BA studies, I maintained this field of interest in my Master’s degree, in which I also went for a semester to Salamanca with the Erasmus+ program. In my MA thesis, my above-mentioned fields of interests came together in a research on the role of history in Flemish integration courses. This MA thesis stimulated my interests in peoples experience of being new in a society and the subsequent expectations of both the receiving society and newcomers. Therefore, I successfully applied for the International Advanced Master Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies at the KU Leuven. This program is unique in its interdisciplinary approach to social transformations from an anthropological perspective. It brings together students and professionals from all over the world. In this program, my focus was on migration and mobility. My MA thesis investigated how the notion 'citizenship' is negotiated between newcomers and teachers in civic integration courses. Currently, I am doing a PhD at Ghent University which is combining all my former experiences. I investigate the role of history in integration trajectories, with a particular focus on the reception side. I am making a comparison between Flanders and the Netherlands. 

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