"Education helps us to better understand what we think we know and leads to further research questions."
Susan Legêne
Dean Faculty of Humanities
With pride, we present the new alumni magazine of the Faculty of Humanities - idea. The word is borrowed from Plato and refers to the whole range of meanings that Plato's notion of 'idea' has acquired over time. Just as our education and research always seek to connect with the social reality of today's world.
In my view, the core of our humanities approach consists of VU Amsterdam’s own combination of methodical and theoretical daring in education and research, while at the same time also cherishing the musical, literary and artistic aspects of it.
"I never forgot that I am a historian, even though I often did quite practical work."
Before I took office as dean in 2020, as a VU historian, I focused mainly on the intertwining of issues of culture and power with the European history of colonialism. I built on the knowledge I gained earlier at the Royal Tropical Institute, the former Colonial Institute in Amsterdam. There I never forgot that I am a historian, even though I often did quite practical work. It was precisely this historical side of the intensive contact with colleagues in research institutes, cultural institutions, NGOs, and museums in developing countries that helped me to see how far-reaching the effect of the colonial past is in the present.
"That world cannot exist without humanities scholars, without the richness of ideas, the linguistic diversity, and the multitude of perspectives needed to interpret the present and develop visions of the future."
When I transferred to VU Amsterdam in 2008, I also experienced the great value of interaction with the students. Education helps us to better understand what we think we know and leads to further research questions. That dynamic in perspectives and experiences is crucial for flourishing humanities. We would also like to thank all alumni for this. Just as it has given me to this day, I hope that the education has also provided you with the tools that guide you in your position in the world.
A world on which we reflect and which feeds our thinking; a world that is out of balance, where inequality and exclusion exist, where borders are fought over, and there are major concerns about climate change. That world cannot exist without humanities scholars, without the richness of ideas, the linguistic diversity, and the multitude of perspectives needed to interpret the present and develop visions of the future. idea aims to contribute to the connection – and perhaps also an actual meeting – between the many generations of alumni that our faculty and its predecessors have educated during the last decades.
magazine for humanities alumni december 2022