LUF lustrum grants: research into lethal violence and deaf families in Africa
Research into 25 years of lethal violence in the Netherlands and into language socialisation of deaf families in Africa will receive grants from the Leiden University Fund (LUF).
Lustrum gift
The two projects will each receive a grant of 125,000 euros. This is a gift from the LUF in celebration of Leiden University’s lustrum in 2015. The grants are intended for new, inter-faculty research and/or education projects. From the six applications submitted, these two projects were recently selected.
Lethal violence
The project ‘25 years of lethal violence in the Netherlands’ looks at homicide statistics over the past 25 years and the background of the killers, and provides a scientific interpretation. The researchers, Dr Marieke Liem and Prof. Lenneke Alink, are gathering information about all murders, their victims and the perpetrators, by linking and verifying police and judicial sources. The objectives of the research are to produce a data set of all homicides, prepare a series of public lectures, create an overview book for the public as well as a series of scientific articles. The faculties of Governance and Global Affairs and Social Sciences are working together on this research.
Deaf families in Africa
How does language socialisation work with deaf families in Africa? How do children learn language and language use there? The transfer from parent to child varies by culture. In five African countries, Leiden University researchers, together with local deaf and hearing researchers, are examining the patterns in language transmission in this unique subculture. This research by Prof. Maarten Mous, Dr Victoria Nyst and Prof. Judi Mesman will culminate in an annotated database. In addition, the project offers talented deaf people in Africa new opportunities for academic development. The faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences are working together on this research.
Donations from alumni
These innovative research projects are made possible thanks to donations the LUF has received from socially engaged Leiden University alumni. Siep Wijsenbeek, Director of the LUF: ‘This is one of the ways in which the LUF helps to maintain Leiden University’s appeal to future generations of ambitious students and researchers.’