How was science conducted during colonialism and enslavement, and how do those scientific practices continue to shape contemporary social and academic debates? This is the central question that an interdisciplinary consortium, commissioned by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), will seek to answer over the next three years.
VU Professor of Philosophy, Monika Kirloskar- Steinbach, and Guus Pengel, coordinator of the Anton de Kom Chair, are part of the ‘Koloniale macht en kennis’ (KMK) consortium (Colonial Power and Knowledge) and elaborate the importance of the project.
The consortium will be investigating the past (scientific) practices of the KNAW and the influence they exert till today. Kirloskar-Steinbach explains: “Because the KNAW’s research field is so wide, work packages have been established, each with a different focus. The work package I will be involved in, investigates how science was conducted during colonialism and enslavement, and what this tells us about the ethics of scientific practice—then and now.”
Material and immaterial aspects of KNAW
The consortium’s research will combine case studies with an analysis of broader historical and structural patterns. It will consider both material aspects— such as collections and buildings—and immaterial ones, such as KNAW’s institutional role in shaping knowledge. Kirloskar-Steinbach stresses the consortium’s aim to work closely with the KNAW, as well as with representatives from postcolonial and diaspora communities. Pengel adds: “Alongside the Anton de Kom Chair, CultureLab Consultancy in Jakarta is also part of the consortium. Their involvement makes it easier to engage with knowledge networks in the former Dutch colonies.”
Innovative forms of knowledge sharing
To ensure the research reaches a wide audience, the consortium is committed to using interactive and public-facing methods of knowledge sharing. In addition to academic publications, the team will develop a public exhibition. The outcome of Pengel's work package will be to produce a documentary. He says: "The documentary will summarise the research findings and share them with students, PhD candidates, and academics both in the Netherlands and across the Global South. This way, the research will be continuously enriched through dialogue and reflection, opening up space for collective awareness.”
International advisory board
Throughout the three-year project, the consortium will be guided by an international advisory board comprising prominent scholars from four continents. “They will help shape our research,” Kirloskar-Steinbach concludes, “and, in turn, our work may influence how through them institutions in other countries reflect on and conduct their own research.”
Photo: Felix Stein