Annual Review 2025
In 2025, students, lecturers, researchers and alumni of the Faculty of Humanities were once again at the heart of society. They demonstrated the importance of the humanities through their groundbreaking research, meaningful education and strong collaborations.
January
- Between 1886 and 1934, more than a thousand women ended up in government workhouses for alleged vagrants and beggars. PhD candidate Marian Weevers investigated who these women were.
- The doctoral research of former general practitioner Ton Zwaard shows that the Dutch East India Company organised healthcare in Asia in a serious and businesslike manner, even though persistent problems remained for two centuries.
- Thijs Porck researched 16th- and 17th-century book bindings and found Middle Dutch texts and a 14th-century musical fragment with notes.
- Fien Lurvink, chair of Keep Them Warm, was nominated for Person of the Year for her help for Ukraine and refugees.
- The Papyrological Institute celebrated its 90th anniversary.
February
- For her PhD research, Ana Saab investigated how the memory of Argentine people who disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s has been kept alive.
- Almost 3,500 visitors attended the Master's Open Day on 14 February in Leiden and The Hague.
- Assistant professor Evelien Walhout researched the causes of death among residents of Haarlem and Zwolle a century ago. Together with colleagues from other universities, she launched the doodsoorzaken.nl platform.
- The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) appointed Petra Sijpesteijn, professor of Arabic at Leiden University, as a Scientific Member.
March
- Associate Professor Lettie Dorst will use a Vidi grant to conduct research into machine translation programmes.
- Rik van Gijn is appointed Professor of Ethnolinguistic Vitality and Diversity in the World, effective 1 December 2024. ‘People almost never give up their mother tongue entirely voluntarily.’
- During the year, the faculty launched web pages on themes with which we want to reach the world outside academia and inform people about what we do:
- Languages and Cultures of the World
- Constructing Heritage, the Colonialism and Slavery theme is an in-depth exploration of this topic
- People, Migration and Mobility
- The Human Digital World
April
- The preliminary design for the new Aleida Nijland building was presented.
- More than forty years ago, a sunken merchant ship was found in the Wadden Sea. PhD candidate Geke Burger examined this archaeological find from a historical perspective.
- PhD candidate Eline Lismont investigated why some 17th- and 18th-century language rules remained in place while others disappeared.
- With his research into queer migration, PhD candidate Jamel Buhari shows how complex reality is.
- PhD candidate Sander van der Horst (Leiden University and KITLV) delves into the political history of Indonesian students in the Netherlands.
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- After completing his bachelor's degree in technical public administration at Delft University of Technology, student Wouter Schuit switched to a master's degree in philosophy in Leiden.
- A recent report shows that the university and its professors benefited from the Dutch colonies. Researcher Ligia Giay discusses this in a podcast.
- Associate professor Willemijn Waal will use a Vici grant to investigate whether the Greek alphabet is centuries older than previously thought and was initially written only on perishable materials.
June
- Professor Judith Pollmann received the Spinoza Prize for her research into how people dealt with change in the past and how this shaped their identity.
- During his Bachelor's degree in International Studies, Tom de Groot discovered his passion for peace and security; he now develops professional training courses.
- Bachelor's students in Religious Studies conducted field research on loneliness in the city and visited community centres in Leiden.
- English Language and Culture celebrated its 75th anniversary with a festive gathering for more than 220 alumni, staff and students.
- During the education market on 19 June, colleagues inspired each other with innovative teaching ideas in the garden of the Huizinga Building.
July
- Mayor Peter Heijkoop is getting to know his city better. On Monday 7 July, he visited the Faculty of Humanities. ‘A few hours and you can see how important this is.’
- PhD candidate Quinten Somsen shows that the stadtholder’s court in the Republic was actually a lively and fully-fledged court.
- After her diagnosis of metastatic cancer, Mirjam Oomens becomes committed to encouraging healthcare professionals to be more cautious when making statements about life expectancy.
- Doctoral researcher Errol Boon investigates whether the seemingly absurd promise of infinite love between finite human beings nevertheless contains a deeper truth.
- Assistant professor Joanne Stolk applies her ERC grant to investigate which writing errors and corrections occurred in Greek texts from the eastern Mediterranean region.
August
- A new podcast by Maurits Berger and Ewa Górska explores how the Tatars have for centuries preserved their identity in Poland.
- Verena Meyer warns that not every religious manuscript should be digitised without prior careful consideration due to political and cultural implications.
- Carmen Van den Bergh is nominated for the Leiden Education Award in recognition of her literature teaching with social relevance and personal experience.
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- During the Evening of Languages, visitors to a sold-out programme discovered how rich and connecting language is, from Chichewa word formation to deciphering hieroglyphics. Watch the aftermovie!
- History offers three new master's specialisations: History of Inequality and Power, Beyond Borders and History of the Netherlands in the World.
- Assistant professor Mike Schmidli won the 2025 Faculty Teaching Award for his commitment to informing students and helping them with their personal growth.
- In the documentary Big in Korea, Professor Remco Breuker travels through South Korea and investigates recent developments and the consequences of the failed coup.
- The Leiden Essay Film Festival, a first for the Netherlands, took place on 14 September at the Kijkhuis and Museum De Lakenhal.
- Karel Berkhoff was appointed professor by special appointment of Ukrainian history on 1 September. He researches persecutions in the first half of the twentieth century.
October
- In his inaugural lecture, professor by special appointment Thijs Brocades Zaalberg warns that irregular warfare should not be ignored.
- Alisa van de Haar receives an ERC Starting Grant for research into language professionals and the language sector in North-West Europe (1550–1650).
- An article by Caspar Jacobs on the fundamental properties of objects is selected for the prestigious Philosophers' Annual.
- Border controls do not reduce asylum migration; aid in regions of origin does work, according to two Leiden researchers.
- A degree in the humanities offers good job prospects, according to research among alumni. Read all about the research at baannajestudie.nl.
- The Humanities Career Service explains what it has to offer students in terms of career advice.
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- Literature, films and social media help us understand society; literary studies therefore remain relevant, Nidesh Lawtoo argued in his inaugural lecture.
- Historian Fenna IJtsma researched four centuries of ‘historical greenery’ to find ideas for creating a climate-proof city centre.
- The Faculty of Humanities has four top programmes according to the Keuzegids Universiteiten 2026, based on the NSE.
- Eighty students visited the European Commission and the Dutch Permanent Representation to the EU during the annual working visit.
- Adam Lukawski investigated who is the creator when musicians use AI, and presented his findings during a premiere in Amare.
- During the Bachelor's Open Day in Leiden and The Hague, hundreds of prospective students used a new formula to find out which programme suits them best.
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- On 2 December, the municipality of Leiden apologised for its past involvement in colonialism and slavery; further investigation will follow.
- On 11 December, philosopher Daan Roovers gave the 54th Huizinga Lecture on politics and fair play.
- Historian Paul van Trigt and Arabist Peter Webb receive an ERC Consolidator Grant of up to two million euros for their research.