Media

Members of the Dialogics of Justice team urged Dutch institutions for higher education to not hide behind the fear of having to ‘choose sides’ and instead speak out on (de)humanization in the face of the violence in Palestine and Israël.

In an opinion piece published in Trouw on 27 October 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 attacks and genocidal violence. A longer version of the article was published in Nieuw Wij.

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News update

We are happy to welcome Carla Boulos, who will join the Dialogics of Justice team in September this year.

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Opinion piece by Naomi Ormskerk and Nicole Immler

05/04/2023 Naomi Ormskerk and Nicole Immler published an opinion piece in the newspaper NRC in reaction to the ruling in a claim brought to the court by women who had suffered institutional abuse within a religious institution. Read the article here

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Naomi Ormskerk in dagblad Trouw: zowel religieuze instellingen als slachtoffers van institutioneel misbruik hebben een rol te spelen in herstel

11/01/2023 Dwangarbeid en exploitatie binnen katholieke instellingen heeft veel leed aangericht, bijvoorbeeld onder meisjes in instellingen van de Goede Herder. In het herstel van dit leed spelen behalve de slachtoffers ook de verantwoordelijke instellingen een rol, schrijft promovenda Naomi Ormskerk van de Universiteit voor Humanistiek in een opiniestuk in Trouw dat op 11 januari verscheen. Na een strijd van 5 jaar hebben de vrouwen, in nauwe samenwerking met de instelling, een nationaal monument gekregen om de vrouwen en kinderen die binnen Goede Herder instellingen zijn overleden te herdenken. Niet alleen degenen die overleden zijn, maar alle ex-pupillen van de Goede…

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In newspaper NRC Obiozo Ukpabi calls on Shell to reckon with its controversial legacies in Netherlands and Nigeria

27/11/2022 Oil and gas companies such as Shell must reckon with the past and their responsibilities in Netherlands and in Nigeria. Ukpabi writes in reaction to the decision of the four Nigerian widows who sued Shell for their alleged complicity in human rights violations in the Niger delta, to drop their case. After years of litigation they see no more options to seek redress for the ‘unavoidable consequences of the destructive logic of profit over people’.

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‘Reconstructing how their history became our history’ Nicole Immler provides commentary in daily newspaper Trouw’

12/11/2022 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 it will offer formal apologies for the role of The Netherlands in the slavery past. Nicole Immler provided Oosterom with commentary on this decision.

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Op-Ed in Trouw by Niké Wentholt and Nicole Immler on Court Ruling Birthmothers v The State

03/02/2022 Empathy from the Court is not enough when the State refuses to recognise institutional failures. In an op-ed in Trouw, Niké Wentholt and Nicole Immler analyse missed opportunities in ruling on Birthmothers v The State. Comparing the ruling in the case of the Birthmothers (Afstandmoeders) with other cases such as Foundation Japanese Honour Debts, the authors ask whether the Judge may underestimate their role in addressing cases of historic injustice. By pointing to the prevailing norms of the time and passing the ball back to the State, the Court absolves itself of the task of finding judicial answers to not only…

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Nicole Immler appointed as Professor of Historical Memory and Transformative Justice

As of 1 July, our principal investigator Nicole Immler has been appointed professor of Historical Memory and Transformative Justice at the University of Humanistic Studies. The new chair responds to the juridification of society, and aims to contribute to a more human-centred approach to social justice. Link to press release: Nicole Immler appointed as Professor of Historical Memory and Transformative Justice – University of Humanistic Studies (uvh.nl)

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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 ongoing debate on recognition of the colonial history of the Netherlands (podcast in Dutch). Link: Podcast Humanistiek: Nicole Immler over erkenning van historisch onrecht en het gesprek rond Keti Koti (libsyn.com)

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Opinion piece on the need for debate after legal procedures by Niké Wentholt & Marrit Woudwijk

15/06/2021 Opinion piece from Niké Wentholt & Marrit Woudwijk in Dutch newspaper Trouw. They argued that two recent legal developments with regard to the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica demonstrate the limitations of legal procedures and therefore this momentum should be used as an opportunity for a broader debate on recognition and justice. Link: Het gesprek over Srebrenica is nu aan ons | Trouw

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Livecast on society vs. fossil energy with Obiozo Ukpabi

25/03/2021 Obiozo Ukpabi participated in a panel discussion hosted by Pakhuis de Zwijger on the growing number of (legal) confrontations between citizens and NGOs on the one hand, and fossil fuel corporations on the other. Link: Maatschappij vs. fossiel – Pakhuis de Zwijger

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Opinion piece on colonial history as shared history

11/03/2020 Opinion piece from Nicole Immler in the Dutch newspaper NRC 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 a broader process in which the colonial history is perceived as a shared history Link: Geef ons koloniaal verleden een gedeelde taal – NRC

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Opinion piece on the legal judgement against Shell by Obiozo Ukpabi

11/02/2021 Opinion piece from Obiozo Ukpabi in the Dutch newspaper NRC. Obiozo wrote an opinion piece on the meaning and limitations of the ruling of the Dutch court in the civil court case against the multinational Royal Dutch Shell. She argued the legal framework provides limited possibility to address the actual problem those affected by environmental harm face. Link: ‘Shell komt te makkelijk weg’ – NRC

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