JEDI Fund 2022

On this page you will find more information about the selected projects of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Fund for 2022.

Disability in Depth: Changing Perspectives

Many people within the Faculty of Humanities are studying and working with a certain disability. While disabilities disable, they also come with strengths. This project aims to produce tangible stories to inform and inspire all students and staff in Humanities, as well as policy makers. The strength of this project lies in its project team that combines relevant academic expertise, curricular embedding, digital storytelling competence and an extensive network of storytellers that study/work with a disability. By using Things That Talk as our publishing platform, which has proven its strength in unveiling humanities, narratives are told through the life of objects.

The project team consists of Fresco Sam-Sin (project lead Things that Talk), Hilde Visser (student MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations and core member of Access and Support Platform), Paul van Trigt (project Rethinking Disability, Institute for History) and Anne van der Linden (student assistant Things That Talk).

History and the Female Gaze: How the female view changed the writing of history

On International Women’s Day (Tuesday 8 March) the Historical Study Association wants to organize an event which elaborates on the influence of female historians on historiography and the importance of women’s history (gender history). The event will consist of two lectures by specialists in the field of gender studies. The first lecture will focus on the contribution female historians have made to the research on history. The second lecture will focus on the necessity of women as subject of study in historical research. After these two lectures there will be a panel discussion with the speakers and other invitees in the field of gender studies.

The project team consists of the board members of the Historical Study Association Leiden (HSVL): Inge Pronk (chair), Diura Bijlsma (secretary) and Elianne Koevoets (internal relations).

Herstory and the female gaze: event on International Women's Day

On 8 March the women of the 33rd board of the Historical Study Association will be hosting an event dedicated to International Women’s day: Herstory and the Female Gaze. Since a few years, International Women’s Day is a global holiday to celebrate all women in the world. It is also a perfect opportunity to commemorate the cultural, political and socio-economic achievements of women.

Historische Studievereniging Leiden
The Historical Study Association Leiden (HSVL) is the official study association for the bachelor's and master's programmes History in Leiden.

Helping Hand: Mutual Aid Group for Disabled and Chronically Ill Students

In cooperation with the ASP, this project aims to create a buddy system and ground the community of disabled and chronically ill students, both in The Hague campus and in Leiden. The project would help students connect with peers who would help them find their way around the Dutch healthcare system, find support in navigating your studies while disabled, and build a community. This project would facilitate, for example, non-Dutch speaking students finding a Dutch speaker to support them in a doctor’s appointment, new medication, etc. This would complement Fenestra’s services and offer a more informal space for students.

This project will be led by Leonor Albuquerque Amaral (student BA International Studies) in cooperation with the Access and Support Platform.

Helping Hand: monthly meetings and peer support group

Helping Hand is a project funded by the JEDI fund of the Humanities Faculty, aiming to bring together Chronically Ill and Disabled students to meet, create community and mutual support. This project means to bring together the community of disabled and chronically ill students and center our experiences, grievances and joy while studying. There are two components to the project: monthly covid-safe, hybrid meetings and the possibility for requesting (peer or financial) support with any medical or disabilityrelated matters

Access and Support Platform
The Access and Support Platform (ASP) is a network of disability experts by experience, i.e. staff and students, at Leiden University. ASP invites all members of the Leiden University community to work with us towards an inclusive and accessible Leiden University that fosters the equitable treatment of staff and students with a disability.

Upsetting Binaries and Hierarchies: Queer Labor Economics

The labour market is shaped by cis-heteronormative, patriarchal norms and discursive practices, determining what work is and how it is valued. While feminist economics has helped raise awareness about gender gaps in the labour market, it can benefit from studying dissident sexualities and gender identities. The approach to understanding LGBTQIA+ employment, related inequalities, and income gaps have received attention within the Queer Economics literature. This project furthers this approach and considers gender identities and/or sexual orientation in analysing labour, problematising binary constructions. By shifting the focus to heteronormativity, we study how this concept perpetuates social hierarchies and employment outcomes.

The project team consists of María Gabriela Palacio Ludeña (Institute for History), Eduardo Alves Vieira (Centre for Linguistics), Texel in t’ Veen (student BA International Studies) and Thomas Grant (student ResMA Latin American Studies).

Upsetting Binaries and Hierarchies Conference

An interdisciplinary conference 'Upsetting Binaries and Hierarchies' organized on 22 and 23 September 2022, whose primary goal is to offer a space for intellectual exchange to scholars working on different areas of inquiry in which Queer Theories and Epistemologies are a common element. 

Research Traineeship Programme
The Research Traineeship Programme gives students the opportunity to be part of a research project within the Faculty of Humanities. The research trainees of the programme work on a research project together with two researchers from the academic staff. During their traineeship, students may for instance work on databases, investigate manuscripts, develop an app, conduct an experiment or publish an article. They may also present their findings at an (international) conference.

Making Diversity and Inclusion Public

The minor programme “Gender and Sexuality in Society and Culture” provides students with a basis for thinking about issues of diversity and inclusion, but it doesn’t yet provide them with the tools to put these insights into practice outside of the university or in their future careers. This project aims to set up a course that teaches students of the minor to organize public events, such as debates or film screenings, that centre on diversity and inclusion. This should both further the debate on D&I at Leiden University and provide students with important transferable skills for their future careers.

The project team consists of Looi van Kessel and Frans-Willem Korsten (Centre for the Arts in Society).

Peer Support Group for Trans and Non-Binary Students

Free, confidential, monthly peer support group organized by and for students who identify as trans and non-binary. It’s a saf(er) space for students to share their experiences, resources and coping strategies to reduce the impact of hardship that students are going through. The sessions are facilitated by students who are trained by professionals from Care: Support Group of the Stichting Our Body Our Voice. Peer facilitators do not treat or give advice but take on the role of empathising and listening to their peers. We hope to build a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for trans and non-binary students in the Faculty of Humanity of Leiden University and beyond.

The project team consists of Pip van Egten (student BA Urban Studies and representative of the Student Advisory Group D&I) and Jules Capdouze (student BA Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges and Chair of LUC Diversity: LGBTQ+). The project will be implemented in cooperation with Queer Leiden University.

Queer Arts Exhibition by Students

The first and only queer art exhibition by students from the Faculty of Humanity. This project aims to contribute to equal opportunity for queer students by giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience by organising an exhibition. Through this exhibition, queer students from the Faculty of humanity can showcase their arts and talent to the public. In collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, students will also be exposed to a network of professional artists in the Netherlands. We want to create a safe space for young, queer artists to express themselves and for queer students to be able to experience art that represents them.

The project team consists of Zofia Wydra (BA Arts, Media and Society) and Amix Muon (MSc Public Administration and President of Queer Leiden University).