“Philosophy gives words to my thoughts.”
Interview
Nina van Egmond Programme manager Dutch Council for Refugees
The chance discovery of a philosophy book in a cabinet in Bangladesh was, in retrospect, the start of a second career for Nina van Egmond. The nursing lecturer would eventually obtain a PhD on the importance of human dignity for migrants. Since 2017, she has been a programme manager at the Dutch Council for Refugees. "Progress changes the way we live, but it's not necessarily an improvement."
The found book was written by the French philosopher Simone Weil and was titled Waiting on God. "After reading this book, I knew I wanted to study philosophy. I felt that I lacked the words to express what I was experiencing, such as the power structures, or historical and cultural processes that lie behind health problems. Philosophy gives words to my thoughts. It has taught me to reflect and zoom out, so that the broader picture becomes visible."
“With a Dutch passport, you can trust that departure and return are always possible.”
Juggling
In Bangladesh, Nina met her husband Joost. Together they had three children and alternated living in the Netherlands with periods in Indonesia and Dubai. Because of these moves, it was always a juggling act between work, care and study. "It also taught me the importance of democracy and a social safety net. And I experienced what it means to live as a guest in someone else's country, even though my situation was one of luxury. With a Dutch passport, you can trust that departure and return are always possible."
Images: Yvonne Compier
Images: Yvonne Compier
“Work is of great importance to refugees.”
Internship
In Indonesia, Nina combined work for Rahima – a knowledge centre for women's rights within Islam – with a research internship for her master's degree in philosophy. "A practical internship teaches you to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and that is important. Don't necessarily pursue an academic career alone – is my advice to students."
Human Dignity
In Dubai, Nina started her PhD research as an external PhD candidate, which resulted in 2021 in the dissertation On Foreign Grounds: Rethinking work rights and political rights of non-members in the framework of human rights based on non-humiliation. "I have examined human dignity and defined a minimum threshold: non-humiliation, no degradation. With a focus on migrants, I investigated the question of whether the current human rights package offers sufficient protection against humiliation. I came to the conclusion that the right to change nationality and the right to work need to be more firmly anchored in international law in order to avoid situations of humiliation."
Work
Nina has been working for the Dutch Council for Refugees for over seven years now. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she has been programme manager for knowledge development and information provision. "Refugees from Ukraine have direct access to the labour market from the moment they arrive in the Netherlands. From this situation, important lessons can be drawn for refugees coming from elsewhere. Compared to Ukrainians, they face many more bureaucratic obstacles.
“It is difficult to connect the subject of migration to progressive thinking.”
Work is of great importance to refugees. It is often the only source of self-sufficiency they can bring with them. But work alone is not enough to build a new home elsewhere. Ukrainians are facing great uncertainty about their future. For example, what happens to them if the temporary protection ends after 4 March 2025? It is an example of the enormous influence that policymakers have on the personal lives of individuals, without them being able to sit at the table where decisions are made."
Images: Yvonne Compier
Images: Yvonne Compier
"It is difficult to connect the subject of migration to progressive thinking", Nina continues. "In recent years, the debate around migration has become increasingly intensified. Where we celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall as a symbol of freedom, we are now building walls around Europe. Increasingly sophisticated border control is causing untold suffering – look at the number of people dying in the Mediterranean. Progress changes the way we live and how we look at the world. Sometimes this brings gains, sometimes impoverishment. It is important that developments go hand in hand with a discussion about the good we are striving for. Therein lies the added value of Humanities: distancing ourselves from the issues of the day, getting a clear picture of cause and effect, connecting the different perspectives on reality with the values we deem important. Personally, I often think of a quote from Loesje, the philosopher in all of us: "Strive carefree for the ideal." The challenge is not only in the ideal, but also in being carefree; that we translate our desire for the good into what we do and how we do it."
"The challenge is not only in the ideal, but also in being carefree."
Dutch Council for Refugees
Refugees have fled their homes because of war, political violence, sexual orientation, origin or religion. The Dutch Council for Refugees supports these refugees from the moment they are received in the Netherlands until they have found their way independently. They do this with a network of locations, employees and volunteers. The Dutch Council for Refugees is a single national foundation and is active in all asylum seekers' centres and in three-quarters of the municipalities in the Netherlands.
magazine for humanities alumni june 2024