At VU Amsterdam, we reflect on Dutch historical slavery and how its legacy continues to shape today’s society. How do the colonial and slavery pasts of the Netherlands - and other European countries -still affect the present? What does decolonisation entail and how has it progressed? And how can we understand the calls for dismantling colonial structures and mindsets against this backdrop? We highlight insights, initiatives and perspectives from the VU community.
Generations of adults and children were traded and shipped to the former colonies under inhuman conditions. Under colonial rule, people were forced to perform slave labour and contract labour.
The yoke of colonial rule may have been cast off, but the shared history still affects society today, both in colonised countries and Western countries. In societal and academic debate, voices are being raised in favour of further decolonisation.
At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we wish to contribute to increasing awareness on this topic and its repercussions in society. We highlight insights, initiatives and perspectives from VU Amsterdam on the Dutch role in slavery, the colonial ideology of Western Europe and how these are connected to the present in the form of (institutional) racism, marginalisation and poverty.
