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Gijsbert van den Brink Brother Juniper’s Experiment: Essays on Faith and Science

Theologian Gijsbert van den Brink demonstrates that faith and science do not necessarily have to be as opposed to one another as is often assumed. From a variety of perspectives, he explores how the two relate to each other. At times they complement one another beautifully, while at other moments there is some tension. Yet it is precisely within that tension that new insights often emerge.

Available at Theologie.nl

Dienke Hondius Absent: Memories of the Jewish Lyceum Amsterdam 1941–1943

In 2026, it will be 85 years since the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam was established. This came about after the German occupiers decreed in 1941 that Jewish and non-Jewish children could no longer attend school together. Even before Anne Frank wrote her famous diary, she and her sister Margot attended this school. For this book, historian Dienke Hondius worked together with initiator and former pupil Miep Gompes-Lobatto, delving into remarkable archival material. They also sought to trace and interview as many surviving former pupils and teachers as possible.

Available at Querido

Rik Peels and John Horgan (eds.) Conceptualizing extreme beliefs and behaviour: Definitions and Relations

This book addresses the question of how concepts such as extremism, radicalisation, fanaticism, and terrorism can best be understood and defined. While the emphasis is primarily theoretical, the volume is also grounded in concrete examples. Rather than merely proposing new definitions, it focuses on the underlying questions: what exactly do these concepts mean, how are they interconnected, and what role do norms and value judgements play within them? In doing so, the book provides a theoretical foundation for further research into extreme beliefs and behaviour.

Available at Oxford University Press

Saartje Tack The impossible subject of suicide: Challenging suicide prevention

In this book, sociologist Saartje Tack explores, from feminist and queer perspectives, how suicide is almost always regarded as something that must be prevented, and never as a legitimate choice. Through analyses of media, literature, academic research, and social media, the book demonstrates how the norm that ‘healthy, rational people want to live’ reduces people experiencing suicidal thoughts to vulnerable or pathological positions, effectively silencing their voices. In this way, the notion of the ‘impossible subject’ emerges. The book challenges prevailing assumptions about suicide and creates space for the experiences of those who are often marginalised, making it particularly relevant for scholars in the social sciences and humanities.

Available at Open Access

Amisah Zenabu Bakuri Healing Beyond Borders: Well-being, Religion, and Migration in Postcolonial Netherlands

This book begins with the question of how people with histories of slavery or colonisation heal from trauma and shape their lives in a world defined by borders. It focuses on people of Afro-Surinamese and Ghanaian backgrounds living in the Netherlands. Healing is described as a dynamic and multifaceted process, shaped by physical, social, institutional, and spiritual boundaries. The book demonstrates how people use healing in innovative and courageous ways to transcend and transform these boundaries.

Available at Springer