Miyuki Kerkhof is a Programme assistant at Pre-University College and a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Archaeology.

More information about Miyuki Kerkhof

Current research

Miyuki Kerkhof is a PhD candidate at the department of Heritage and Society of the Faculty of Archaeology. Her current research focuses on the relationship between cultural heritage and the well-being of historically excluded groups. Through heritage-based intervention sessions, Miyuki engages minoritised Dutch citizens with heritage objects and measures their well-being over time. Through qualitative interviewing, Miyuki will co-create recommendations for the heritage sector that will address gaps in accessibility, representation and agency.

Background

Miyuki holds a BA in Archaeology (2017) and an MA (cum laude) in Archaeological Heritage Management (2019), both from Leiden University. Her interests in gender issues are informed by her previous tenure as liaison officer at the UN Agency for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Her BA research consisted of analysing gender representations of archaeological reconstructions in Dutch elementary school books. Her MA thesis discusses the clash between cultural rights and women’s rights within the context of Japanese heritage management and the ambiguous role of UNESCO herein.

Miyuki worked as a research and teaching assistant in the ERASMUS+ project (2019-2021) “Exploring cultural heritage for fostering academic teaching and social responsibility in higher education (EU-CUL)”.

The aim of the project was: 

• to measure how universities carry out their social responsibility (“Third Mission”) through the use of cultural heritage: 
• to indicate how higher education can more effectively use the resources of cultural heritage and to promote its educational value. 

Within a consortium consisting of four other universities, Miyuki was one of the project members tasked with identifying best practices in heritage management, formulating recommendations for partners, and developing innovative and interdisciplinary course material for engaged researchers and students of heritage.

Academic interests

Miyuki's academic interests include heritage management, gender and health inequalities, heritage and governance, women’s rights, disability rights, participatory governance, inclusivity, representation, social responsibility of higher education institutions, and critical heritage studies.