Nicole L. Immler is historian, working on the afterlife of historical injustice (World War II, colonialism), exploring why the past still matters. She is professor of Historical Memory and Transformative Justice at the University of Humanistic Studies, linking in her work History, Transitional Justice, Memory Studies, and Oral History.
DIALOGICS OF JUSTICE
In the ‘Dialogics of Justice’, Nicole Immler studies several recognition claims addressing colonial wrongs, exploring the question: what is meant by the notion of recognition and repair? Having identified certain problems in her earlier research on the Indonesian-Dutch ‘Rawagede case’ (Immler 2016, 2018), she aims to substantiate her findings via comparative research, including Dutch (Indo European, Caribbean and Antilleans community) and international cases (UK/Kenia, European countries/CARICOM) in the analysis, to categorize the problems and identify alternative solutions.
With her earlier research Narrated (In)Justice, exploring how (in)justice is re-narrated across generations, she was Marie Curie Fellow in the program ‘Understanding the Age of Transitional Justice’ at the NIOD, Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Exploring the ‘Rawagede case’, a court case on Dutch war crimes in Indonesia’s war of independence, resulted in a prize-winning article (BMGN 2018). Beforehand, in her PhD, a meta-biography on Ludwig Wittgenstein, she theorized the concept of family memory (2010), further developed in her Post-doc The afterlife of restitution when examining the dynamics between family memory on the Holocaust and reparation politics (2012).
Contact: n.immler@uvh.nl
PUBLICATIONS
Herstel als maatschappelijke opdracht: zichtbare transformatie van relaties
Nicole L. Immler & Niké Wentholt
Dec 1, 2025 | Tijdschrift voor Herstelrecht
The Child Benefits Scandal harmed individuals, families, and social relationships. This article explores societal repair using theories of transformative justice, resonance, and the justice continuum, presenting repair as a multi-level process.
Read moreHistorical abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions: A qualitative evaluation of victim-survivors’ experiences with redress procedures
Naomi Ormskerk, Maarten Kunst & Nicole Immler
Nov 22, 2025 | International Review of Victimology
This study examines survivors’ experiences with redress mechanisms for historical abuse by Catholic clergy in the Netherlands, showing that empathetic, participatory procedures fostered greater recognition and agency than rigid, adversarial processes.
Read moreThe Multivoiced Archive: Connecting Oral Histories of Historical Injustices
Nicole Immler
Sept 1, 2025 | The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict
How to make the archive speak? This entry by Nicole Immler is about rethinking the oral history archive—an archive in which “unheard voices” will be voiced in ways they might more easily and differently listened to.
Read moreDaadwerkelijk veranderen
Eva Mulder, Niké Wentholt, Naomi Ormskerk, Yara Bodegraven, Jake Smit & Nicole Immler
June 27, 2025 – revised may 2026 | WODC
In this commissioned research for WODC, researchers from DoJ worked together with other UvH-researchers to study government measures to recognize violent in youth care.
Read moreCatholic Clergy Abuse in the Netherlands: The Role of Social Relations in Redress Procedures
Naomi Ormskerk, Maarten Kunst & Nicole Immler
May 29, 2025 | Victims & Offenders
This article examines how redress procedures for clerical abuse in the Netherlands shape and are shaped by survivors’ social relationships, showing that relational and intergenerational dynamics are central to experiences of justice and healing.
Read more‘Unburden us and them’: encountering ‘the other’ in meetings between Bosnian genocide survivors and Dutch UN veterans
Siri Driessen, Jeannette van Brenk, Nicole Immler & Eric Vermetten
March 28, 2025 | Frontiers in Sociology, Medical Sociology
The Dutch government has offered Dutchbat 3 veterans and their partners to return to Srebrenica and meet with women survivors of war and genocide. Siri Driessen, Jeannette van Brenk, Nicole Immler and Eric Vermetten aim to…
Read moreHolocaust Reparations. Scrutinizing “the Model” in Transitional Justice
Nicole Immler
Mach 19, 2025 | Redefining Reparations, Wassenaar 1952 and the Global Politics of Repair
Nicole Immler wrote a chapter on Holocaust Reparations ‘Holocaust Reparations. Scrutinizing “the Model” in Transitional Justice’, in the book Redefining Reparations, Wassenaar 1952 and the Global Politics of Repair.
Read moreHow (Post) Memory Matters to Justice
Nicole Immler
Dec 30, 2024 | Dynamics, Mediation, Mobilization
“How can narrating the past change the future?”. This volume is a dedication to the work of Ann Rigney. Nicole Immler wrote a chapter on ‘How (Post) Memory Matters to Justice’.
Read moreWéér vergeten we te luisteren naar de gedupeerden in het Toeslagenschandaal
Nicole Immler & Niké Wentholt
Nov 6, 2024 | NRC
In the reporting on the Child Benefit Affair, the experiences of the affected parents and young people are in danger of being lost, according to Nicole Immler and Niké Wentholt.
Read moreRaamwerk maatschappelijk herstel Toeslagenaffaire. Voorbij lessen leren: transformeren en herstel doén
Nicole Immler & Niké Wentholt
June 26, 2024 | Nederlands Ministerie van Financiën
Nicole Immler and Niké Wentholt created a Framework for Social Repair in the Childcare Benefits Scandal. Beyond Learning Lessons: Transforming and Implementing Repair.
Read moreMeerstemmig herdenken: een pleidooi voor verbinding
Nicole Immler & Limor Reshef
April 30, 2024 | Sociale Vraagstukken
In commemoration culture, a unanimous perspective increasingly prevails. Nicole Immler and Limor Reshef see in their three-generation Holocaust-research a need for more multivoicedness, including within ourselves. They argue that learning to see one’s own dialogical self is the precondition for dialogue.
Read moreHistorical abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions: institutional and non-institutional response procedures
Naomi Ormskerk, Maarten Kunst & Nicole Immler
April 9, 2024 | The International Journal of Restorative Justice
Naomi Ormskerk, Maarten Kunst and Nicole Immler discuss historical abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions, both institutional and non-institutional response procedures.
Read moreLeed en Erkenning. Verschillen tussen de generaties.
Limor Reshef & Nicole Immler
Dec 14, 2023 | Chanukah edition of Benjamin
Limor Reshef and Nicole Immler wrote about how conversation with Holocaust survivors and their families revealed that the meaning of recognition clearly differs between generations and how important it is to take different needs into account.
Read moreMeerstemmigheid in erkenning van onrecht
Nicole Immler, Obiozo Ukpabi, Naomi Ormskerk & Niké Wentholt interviewed by Dagmar Punter
Oct 27, 2023 | Tijdschrift Conflicthantering
Dagmar Punter interviewed the DoJ team on the Dialogics of Justice project, and multivoicedness in the recognition of injustice.
Read moreHerstel als maatschappelijke opdracht. Zichtbare transformatie van relaties.
Nicole Immler & Niké Wentholt
Oct 25, 2023 | Nederlands Ministerie van Financiën
This is a discussion note by Nicole Immler and Niké Wentholt on the Child Benefit Affair. They discuss reparation as a social task and the visible transformation of relationships.
Read moreDe doorwerking van het slavernijverleden
Nicole Immler
July 14, 2023 | Staat en Slavernij
In this chapter Nicole Immler discusses the legacy of slavery with a transgenerational perspective on repair and Transformative Justice.
As of may 2025 an English translation is available.
Read moreHow Tort Can Address Historical Injustice
Niké Wentholt & Nicole Immler
Jan 1, 2023 | Netherlands Journal of Legal Philosophy
In this article Niké Wentholt and Nicole Immler explore the role civil courts could play in facilitating the slavery justice movement.
Read moreRethinking post-colonial recognition from a multi-voiced perspective
Nicole Immler
Dec 11, 2022 | Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia
Nicole Immler on The Netherlands-Indies and rethinking post-colonial recognition from a multi-voiced perspective. She argues that in the communication of pain, language matters.
Read moreDe (Dia)Logics van Herkenning en Herstel. Het belang van geschiedenis voor rechtvaardigheid
Nicole Immler
Oct 21, 2022 | Inaugural Lecture, University of Humanistic Studies
Nicole Immler’s inaugural lecture on the (dia)logics of recognition and restoration. She discussed the importance of history for justice.
Read moreBosnië is veranderd, terwijl wij zelf stil zijn blijven staan
Nicole Immer, Siri Driessen & Jeannette van Brenk
Sept 8, 2022 | Military Spectator
Nicole Immer, Siri Driessen and Jeannette van Brenk on when return journeys of veterans are truly meaningful. They discuss the return journeys of veterans from a relational perspective.
Read moreWhat is Meant by ‘Repair’ when Claiming Reparations for Colonial Wrongs?
Nicole Immler
Dec 7, 2021 | Slaveries & Post-Slaveries
Nicole Immler on what is meant by ‘repair’ when claiming reparations for colonial wrongs. She discusses Transformative Justice for the Dutch Slavery Past.
Read moreLegal decisions and their dilemmas
Nicole Immler
June 21, 2021 | Chapter in: Time for Reparations. A global Perspective
Chapter by Nicole Immler on Colonial history at court: Legal decisions and their dilemmas.
Read moreHet slavernijverleden als erfenis
Nicole Immler
March 11, 2021 | Filosofie Magazine
The colonial past is a legacy that connects generations over time and remains vividly present today. From a new generational perspective, Nicole Immler discusses how to deal with this legacy.
Read moreErkenning: Het herstel van sociale relaties
Nicole Immler
Dec 30, 2020 | Impact Magazine
Nicole Immler on the history of recognition since World War II. She concludes her article with a plea for broader recognition—not only for victims but also for their social environment and community.
Read moreSeeking justice for the mass execution in Rawagede
Nicole Immler & Stef Scagliola
Jan 15, 2020 | Rethinking History, The Journal of Theory and Practice
Nicole Immler and Stef Scagliola on seeking justice for the mass execution in Rawagede. Probing the concept ‘entangled history’ in a postcolonial setting.
Read moreMEDIA
Interview on apologizing for wrongdoing, how do you do that?
June 8, 2026 “Excuses aanbieden voor historische misstanden – hoe doe je dat?” – Jannie Schippers, Noordhollands Dagblad
An interview with Nicole Immler by Jannie Schipper at Noordhollands Dagblad, about apologizing for wrongdoing, how do you do that? On July 2, the Dutch state officially apologizes to mothers who, between 1956 and 1984, were forced…
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Interview on commemorating in a plural way
April 2026 “Herdenken in meervoud” – Vmagazine, Vfonds
An interview with Nicole Immler by Vfonds, about commemorating in a plural way. Commemoration is constantly changing. The question is not whether, but how. What does that mean for the rituals we have built together? Who gets a place in them, and how does commemoration remain relevant…
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Interview on how redressing historical injustice requires a different mentality
15/4/2026 “Herstel historisch onrecht vraagt om andere mentaliteit” – NieuwWij
“Combating the social and economic inequality of the descendants of enslaved people requires a change in societal structures. What does decolonization entail, and what is the current status?” Nicole Immler, Professor of Historical Memory and Transformative Justice at the University for Humanistic Studies, shares her…
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Interview on the meaning of freedom as a scientist and human being
1/6/2025 ‘Erkenning van het verleden biedt vrijheid voor de toekomst’ – Vrij Nederland
‘Recognition of the past offers freedom for the future.’ That is Nicole Immler’s position in the conversation with Annemiek Leclaire for Vrij Nederland about the meaning of freedom as a scientist and as a human being.
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140 Jahre Berliner Afrika-Konferenz
23/5/2025 – ‘140 Jahre Berliner Afrika-Konferenz’ – Zeitgeschichte Online
Report by Nicole Immler on her visit of the Africa Conference in Berlin. It is about much more than genocide or restitution: dignity – at the conference commemorating the Berlin Africa Conference of 1884/85. To this day, the conference continues to shape European thinking about Africa…
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Podcast Dialoog: De Geschiedenis is voorbij, de Dialoog niet.
7/4/2025 ‘De Geschiedenis is voorbij, de Dialoog niet’ – Podcast Dialoog
In this podcast episode by Stichting Dialoog NJI, Nicole Immler discusses the impact of trauma and the importance of engaging in dialogue. This is difficult, but according to Immler, you don’t always have to agree to make progress. Listening and self-reflection are key.
Read moreInterview on ‘three generations’ research emphasizes the importance of paying attention to diversity in perspectives
14/12/2024 ‘Hoe werkt oorlog door op verschillende generaties?’ Platform WO2
Nicole Immler, Bart Nauta (ARQ) and Matthijs Kuipers (National Committee 4 and 5 May) were interviewed by Fabienne van Wijngaarden about the similarities between their ‘three generations’ research and about the different emphases that are placed.
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Interview on pleading for more space at universities for debate and emotions
30-10-2023 ‘Verdeeldheid over hoe verder op Universiteit Utrecht nu debat over oorlog verhardt: waar doe je goed aan?’ – AD
In this article Nicole Immler was interviewed on how the debate on war intensifies at universities, specifically in the conversation about the war between Israël and Hamas. In the interview she pleaded for more space…
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Call on Dutch institutions for higher education to speak out on (de)humanization in the face of the violence in Palestine and Israël
27/10/2023 ‘Hamas-Israël conflict moet studenten leren niemand te ontmenselijken’ – Trouw
‘Wees niet bang om ‘partij te kiezen’ gericht op humanisering’ – Nieuw Wij
In this opinion piece Siri Driessen, Nicole Immler, Obiozo Ukpabi and Niké Wentholt called on Dutch institutions for higher education to take a stand against dehumanization in the face of terrorist…
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Towards a broad societal conversation about what repair constitutes
2/7/2023 ‘Klaar met slavernijverleden? Excuses zijn pas het begin’ – AD
In this article by Carla van der Wal about the commemoration of the Dutch slavery past, Nicole Immler argues for a broad societal conversation about what repair constitutes. “This is a collective process and also revolves around what kind of society we want to…
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Nicole Immler cited by Deputy Prime Minister Carola Schouten in her speech on slavery past commemoration
1/7/2023
Nicole Immler was quoted in the speech held by Deputy Prime Minister Carola Schouten at the commemoration of the slavery past on 1 July 2023 in Middelburg. “The slavery past feels close due to the structures this history has left behind.”
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Interview on repair for the slavery past
30/6/2023 ‘Hoe zien de herstelbetalingen voor slavernij eruit?’ – Trouw
Nicole Immler was interviewed by Robin Goudsmit en Maurice Timmermans about repair for the slavery past. It is the elephant in the room during the slavery commemoration: reparations. Will they ever come, and what should restitution look like?
Read moreOpinion piece on how ruling of ‘statute of limitations’ is misplaced in the case of institutional suffering
05/04/2023 ‘Verjaring beschermt foute instituties’ – NRC
Naomi Ormskerk and Nicole Immler published an opinion piece in reaction to the ruling in a claim brought to the court by women who had suffered institutional abuse within a religious institution. Thousands of girls were forced to perform hard labor in Catholic ‘charitable institutions.’ The ruling of…
Read moreHoe je excuses aanbiedt voor historisch onrecht
28/11/2022 ‘Een historisch excuus aanbieden, hoe doe je dat? Deze vijf zaken kunnen het maken of breken’ – Trouw
Nicole Immler in Trouw on how to offer apologies for historical injustices. Rianne Oosterom writes about the debate surrounding apologies for the history of slavery and asks how it can be done properly. Professor Nicole Immler…
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Reconstructing how their history became our history
12/11/2022 ‘Hoe de discussie over het slavernijverleden van de brievenrubriek naar de voorpagina verschoof’ – Trouw
In this article, Rianne Oosterom reconstructs how the Dutch slavery past moved from the letters page (with a letter from Volkskrant reader Roy Kaikusi Groenberg) to the front page of the public debate. Recently, the Dutch cabinet announced that…
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Public lecture at the Commemoration of boys and women’s camps in Indonesia during the Japanese occupation
21/08/2022 ‘Herdenken om te verbinden in de meerstemmigheid’ – Impact Magazine
On this special occasion Nicole Immler gave a lecture on ‘Commemorating to Connect in Multivoicedness’. The organisers of the commemoration wished to reflect on the question of renewal of their commemorative tradition. How can we do this in a way that remains relevant for…
Read moreOp-Ed on Court Ruling Birthmothers v The State
03/02/2022 ‘De rechter liet afstandsmoeders in de kou staan. En wat doet de overheid?’ – Trouw
Empathy from the Court is not enough when the State refuses to recognise institutional failures. This opinion piece by Niké Wentholt and Nicole Immler analyses missed opportunities in ruling on Birthmothers v The State.
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Podcast on the Keti Koti debate
01/07/2021 Podcast on the Keti Koti debate – Podcast Pluralistiek
Nicole Immler participated in a podcast hosted by the University of Humanistic Studies (Utrecht). On the 1st of July each year, the celebration of Keti Koti marks the abolition of slavery in Suriname. Nicole and student Farach Winter talked about the importance of dialogue and…
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Opinion piece on colonial history as shared history
11/03/2020 ‘Geef ons koloniaal verleden een gedeelde taal’ – NRC
Nicole Immler wrote an opinion piece on the public apology made by Dutch King Willem Alexander for the ‘excessive violence’ on Dutch side during the indepence struggle of Indonesia. She argued that current public debate on colonial violence does not sufficiently recognize the need for…
Read moreBLOG
Podcast on the Keti Koti debate with Nicole Immler
01/07/2021 Nicole Immler participated in a podcast hosted by the University of Humanistic Studies (Utrecht). On the 1st of July each year, the celebration of Keti Koti marks the abolition of slavery in Suriname. Nicole and student Farach Winter talked about the importance of dialogue and the meaning of reparations, especially in light of the…
Read moreHistorical redress through dialogue: grassroots can change the national conversation about Dutch slavery
Nicole Immler & Niké Wentholt
In the absence of a coordinated national political response, grassroots and civic initiatives can play a key role in pushing for recognition and justice for the colonial past. Nicole Immler and Niké Wentholt, from the University of Humanistic Studies Utrecht, draw on the example of the Keti Koti Dialogue Tables…
Read moreKeti koti dialoogtafel is actief burgerschap
Nicole Immler & Niké Wentholt
Some say that talking about the past of slavery polarises. The opposite appears true. At the Keti koti dialogue tables happening all over the Netherlands currently, we talk together about the role of this history in our lives now, and in the society we are part of. This creates a…
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