From 8-9 October 2026 the conference Decolonization – Promises, Problems, Practices will take place in Vienna. The conference is co-organized by Nicole Immler (University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht) together with Anaïs Angelo (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna) and Johannes Feichtinger (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna). Decolonization has become a buzzword in academia, but what, precisely, […]
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Interview on repair after apologies
23/7/2026 “De week van David: wat komt er ná overheidsexcuses?” – NPO Radio 1, Rode Lijn
The Dutch government has offered apologies to the Moluccan community as well as to birth mothers and relinquished children. This also sets another process in motion, how should the restoration look like following an apology? In this interview by Natasja Gibbs, editor David Breebaart delved into that restoration process and discussed it with legal philosopher Wouter Veraart and Nicole Immler.
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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 to give up their babies and children who were relinquished at the time. Offering apologies for historical injustices is essential, but also tricky, according to Nicole Immler.
Read more15-17/4/2026 – Dialogics of Justice Final Conference
April 15th-17th 2026 Dialogics of Justice (NWO-VICI) – Final Conference About the conference The last decade has witnessed an increase in civil proceedings brought before Dutch district courts by people adversely affected by colonial violence, military missions, sexual abuse, and environmental harm. Does legal action against institutions such as the Dutch state, the military, the church, and […]
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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 for new generations? An interview with historian and professor Nicole Immler about the future of commemoration.
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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 view ‘after the decimal point’ (na de komma). “Too much research on recognition focuses solely on the past. Whereas for victims, the idea of ‘what the future will look like’ is crucial.”
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Nicole Immler joins the board of Stichting Keti Koti Tafel
Professor Nicole Immler has recently joined the board of the Keti Koti Tafel Foundation. With her expertise, she strengthens the further substantive development of the foundation, at the intersection of historical awareness and contemporary societal issues.
Read more4/2/2026 – Relationality seminar
Relational approaches have become increasingly prominent in the social sciences and humanities, resulting in the so-called ‘relational turn’ (Dépelteau 2013). Rather than focusing on isolated actors or events, such approaches seek to understand phenomena through their relations: between people, practices, institutions, histories, and systems of power. But what does it mean to work relationally in research? Dialogics […]
Read more23/1/2026 – Meeting RNW Oral History – The Multivoiced Archive: (How) Can We Make Oral History Archives Reparatory?
On Friday 23 January, the Oral History Network of the Huizinga Institute hosted an inspiring gathering at University Utrecht that brought together practices and reflections from Oral History, Transitional Justice, and Memory Studies around our project: The Multivoiced Archive. During the session we – Nicole Immler, Siri Driessen, Leah Niederhausen and Rosa Mul – presented our Multivoiced Archive project, […]
Read more10/12/2025 – Living Library: Voicing the human right for multivoicedness
Is there a human right for multivoicedness? From 12 November until 12 December 2025, Utrecht was dedicated to human rights. On Wednesday 10 December, International Human Rights Day, all initiatives came together in and around the Stadhuis of Utrecht. Living Library At a new edition of the Living Library by the University of Humanistic Studies, visitors met “living books” […]
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