JEDI Fund 2024

On this page you will find more information about the selected projects of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Fund for 2024.

Lecture Series: The Futures of Native American Studies

An increase in student interest and emergent lines of inquiry and research at Leiden University have demonstrated that additional expertise in Native American experiences of colonization in North America is currently required. We will use the JEDI fund to establish a lecture series that will bring cutting edge researchers of Native American Studies from the United States to Leiden, and to encourage further study with active learning workshops about Native America.

The project teams consists of Jessie Morgan-Owens (LUCAS), Sara Polak (LUCAS), Mike Schmidli (LUIH), staff and faculty of North American Studies and study association LUNAS.

LUALA Beats Area Studies Podcast Series

LUALA Beats Area Studies Podcast Series (Leiden University Africa Latin America) is a cooperation between the two Area Studies sections of Leiden University’s Institute for History. The podcast series is intended: (1) as a platform for critical discussions amongst practitioners, scholars and students on inclusivity from an Area Studies’ perspective: diversity, inequality, power, decolonization and cultural interactions; (2) as an instrument for LU teachers and students to involve society on debates around Africa and Latin America as a means of knowledge and cultural and epistemic inclusivity.

The project team consists of Prof. Mirjam de Bruijn, Dr Sara de Wit, Dr Walter Nkwi, Dr Stefano Bellucci, Prof. Ed Amman and Dr Soledad Valdivia Rivera. Students will be involved as well.

Queer Art Exhibition

Queer Leiden University proposes an innovative Queer Art Exhibition, collaborating with esteemed art academies across the Netherlands. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to create a vibrant and inclusive space, spotlighting the talents of LGBTQIA+ artists. Through a diverse range of mixed-media artworks and engaging discussion panels, the exhibition aims to amplify queer voices, explore the nuances of reclaiming space, and underscore the profound importance of showcasing the myriad experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community. This project is a testament to our commitment to fostering creativity, dialogue, and a sense of belonging for the queer artistic community.

This project is coordinated by Queer Leiden University, a decolonial an intersectional queer-led collective that aims to connect and support LGBTQIA+ people.

Stories from South and Southeast Asia: A Platform

The project’s goal is to create an online platform for stories e.g. folktales and fairytales from the region of South and Southeast Asia. These stories will be made available in English and one of the languages that are offered in the BA programme South and Southeast Asian Studies in both written and audio format. Through this platform we want to engage our students with the rich culture of the region and its languages.

This project is coordinated by SIITAA (Study Association BA South and Southeast Asia Studies). The project team consists of Felicitas Diecke, Divya Goelzar en Imme Smits.

The ASPodcast

The ASPodcast is a podcast series aimed at illuminating the range of experiences that people with disabilities have in our community. Through the inclusion of professional conversations, personal experiences, and useful insights pertaining to disability, the initiative hopes to increase awareness, encourage acceptance, and bring about positive change.

The project team consists of the board members of the Access & Support Platform (ASP): Ulrika Eglĩte, Vasiliki Kalantidi, Immanuel d’Anjou, Emma Bouwman, Christina Fürsattel and Felicitas Diecke.

Levelling the Playing Field: Impact of Different Academic Cultures on Teaching Practices and Learning Experiences

Each year, International Studies welcomes hundreds of international students, reshaping the traditional image of a student. However, existing assessments and the academic culture at Leiden University may negatively impact or exclude these students. To avoid that, we need to rethink our assessments, and question the academic culture of Leiden University and address the time constraints faced by individual instructors striving to create a safe and inclusive learning environment. This project identifies the international students' diverse learning styles, expectations, challenges, and needs. In this way, teachers can improve their course designs and adapt our academic culture to the diverse student population.

This project is led by Aholi So (BA International Studies).

Knowing Diversity Through Migration

Leiden University is embedded in a social and urban environment where international and internal migration matter. The existing teaching program provides students with basic understanding of migration. To achieve more inclusive education, the “Knowing Diversity Through Migration” equips students with practical research skills to study local migrant communities. Students will learn how to do ethnographic studies and conduct semi-structured interviews with migrant community of their choice in the Hague region and in Leiden. The project will develop a minor course in BA International Studies or integrated into an honours programme that trains and guides students to make a research plan, write research reports and organise public events (public talks, short documentaries, and exhibitions).

This project is led by Yujing Tan (BA International Studies) and Jovan Pešalj (BA International Studies).

Symposium 'Underexposed: the topics that do not (yet) make it into the history books'

In line with our lustrum theme 'Enlightenment', the 2024 symposium shines a light on topics that are still insufficiently addressed in historical discourse, by shifting attention away from the canon that dominates in the lecture halls and the common interpretation of Enlightenment. The programme focuses on three underexposed aspects: colonial history, minorities and inequality during the Enlightenment. In this way we hope to offer a complex vision that puts history books in a different light.

This project is HSVL, the study association for the BA and MA in History.