I am assistant professor of Conflict Studies at the Governance and Inclusive Development Programme Group (GID) of the University of Amsterdam. My research focuses on the role of education in promoting reconciliation in conflict-affected societies and on teaching about difficult histories more generally (including, for instance, the colonial past). In particular, I study the opportunities and challenges for teaching about violent pasts from the perspective of teachers, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. I also conduct research on the intergenerational transmission of collective memories of violence and on youth aspirations in conflict-affected societies. My work has appeared in journals such as ‘African Affairs’, ‘Globalisation, Societies and Education’, ‘International Journal of Educational Development’, and ‘Education, Citizenship and Social Justice’.
In addition, I carry out practice-oriented research focusing on my own teaching through the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) offered by the TLC Education Research Fellows program.
I teach the course ‘Introduction to Conflict Studies’ in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISW). Besides, I advice students while writing their Bachelor (ISW) or Master thesis (Master of International Development Studies).