News

Professor of Health and Humanities Rina Knoeff and assistant professor of Cultural Heritage, Identity, and Early Modern History Karen Hollewand make a case for gender health equality between men and women in medical sciences. ‘I believe we need to add some nuance to the huge tirades against the patriarchal society.’

Since ancient times, connections between Iran and China have flourished through trade and literature. Today a large amount of extant tangible and intangible cultural heritage exists in both Iran and China attesting to this shared history. Given its historical significance and contemporary relevance, the goal of this conference is to bring together scholars considering these common ties of cultural heritage, as well as how they are situated in contemporary academic, political, or cultural debates.

The submission deadline is 15 May 2024.

Millions of women worldwide use apps that provide insight into their monthly cycles. The makers of these apps promote their products as tools for women to better understand their bodies and gain a sense of control. But do the actual users of these apps feel the same way? That is what Lisa Stuifzand investigated in her Master's thesis. She, along with her thesis supervisor, Dr Rik Smit, a lecturer in Media Studies, then turned the thesis into a scientific publication.

Karène Sanchez-Summerer, professor of Middle Eastern Studies, has been awarded a grant from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, the French equivalent of NWO), for the research project PredicMo, which will study preaching. The project, which starts this year and will last until 2028, is a collaboration with the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille.

The terminology used by newspapers in reporting on climate change has undergone significant changes from 1995 to 2019. Newspapers from different parts of the world are employing terms that convey a growing sense of urgency. However, much of the reporting on this global phenomenon remains focused on the causes and solutions within national borders. This is revealed by research conducted by Stijn Eikelboom, MSc, Dr Marc Esteve Del Valle, and Prof Malvina Nissim from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, which they are publishing in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

Carole Hillenbrand’s seminal work, The Crusades Islamic Perspectives was published 25 years ago. In the time since its publication, Islamic experiences of the crusading phenomenon have been repositioned as a central element of crusader studies. Yet questions remain about how the field moves onwards from here. The workshop will highlight and further develop the latest advances in the study of materiality, objects and artefacts, art history, intellectual history, historiography, translation studies, the history of emotions, digital humanities, memory and remembrance, and medievalism.

The deadline for abstracts is 11 April 2024.

What are the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the implemented measures for citizens’ trust in politics and science? What lessons can policymakers in Europe and elsewhere draw from this to tackle a potential next pandemic? Benjamin Leruth, researcher and assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts, researched these questions in five European countries. He uses so-called citizens’ juries, small groups of engaged citizens that hold discussions and make recommendations to national and European political bodies. ‘Policymakers should have structural discussions with citizens about important political themes.’

Lars de Wildt researches the similarities between gaming and religion. In the article, he discusses factors such as music, social community and aesthetics.

Dr Saskia Peels-Matthey, Assistant Professor of Ancient Greek at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, has been appointed as a member of The Young Academy.

Karène Sanchez-Summerer, Professor of Middle Eastern History at the Faculty of Arts is organising the sold-out Studium Generale lecture: 'Gaza in Context' on 14 December, together with Pieter Nanninga, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, and Karim El Taki, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Politics.

This two-day research workshop will explore new global intellectual histories of geopolitical thought, with a special focus on figures outside the traditional canon and crises of environmental, technological, and international orders from the 1890s to 1960s.

The deadline for submissions is 15 February 2024.

They keep piling up – legal cases involving comedians, cartoonists or social media users who are taken to court for an inappropriate joke, meme or cartoon. Cultural scholar Alberto Godioli is working on a toolkit for (and with) judges to help them adopt a balanced, systematic approach in legal cases.

Agriculture, mining, and large-scale industries initiated in the colonial period have caused persistent and pernicious forms of toxicity. This conference aims to generate an understanding of how these forms of toxicity are carried over into the present as toxic coloniality. Centring on questions of environmental in/justice, agency in the Anthropocene, and unequal relationships between the Global North and the Global South, we ask what toxic coloniality entails.

The deadline for submissions is 15 January 2024.

Professor Pablo Valdivia has been appointed the new director of ICOG, from 1 November 2023 until 1 November 2027. Pablo is following in the footsteps of Professor Sabrina Corbellini.

The Roman Empire saw a previously unparalleled production of numbers of buildings and artefacts. How did the Romans deal with these changes? This question preoccupy classicist Bettina Reitz-Joosse to such an extent that she has initiated scientific research into them.

Carole Hillenbrand’s seminal work, The Crusades Islamic Perspectives was published 25 years ago. In the time since its publication, Islamic experiences of the crusading phenomenon have been repositioned as a central element of crusader studies. Yet questions remain about how the field moves onwards from here. The workshop will highlight and further develop the latest advances in the study of materiality, objects and artefacts, art history, intellectual history, historiography, translation studies, the history of emotions, digital humanities, memory and remembrance, and medievalism.

The deadline for abstracts is 11 April 2024.

The Frisian Museum will collaborate with the University of Groningen (UG) on two research projects. The Dutch Organization for Scientific Research ( Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO)) is funding the projects from the research programme: Museum Grants. This programme enables museums to conduct short-term research in collaboration with scientists affiliated with a university. The results of the research will be made publicly available in the coming years in exhibitions and publications.

Associate Professor in Art Sociology, Dr. Sara Strandvad , is conducting research on the position of freelancers in the cultural sector in the Northern Netherlands. How do they navigate the numerous challenges faced by independent entrepreneurs in the cultural sector, and what is their outlook for the future? The research is a collaboration with, among others, the municipality of Groningen. The municipality will consider the recommendations from the research in formulating its new Cultural Policy.

Our society is becoming more and more digitized. We apply for jobs online, follow classes online, meet each other on social media, and manage our affairs using a range of apps. What happens, though, if you don’t have a computer or don’t understand how DigiD works? You tend to slip through the cracks, which can have disastrous consequences. Marcel Broersma, Professor of Media and Journalistic Culture, and Joëlle Swart, assistant professor of Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen, are conducting research on the topic of digital literacy and inclusion. Their aim: to make our digital society more accessible to those who are digitally challenged.

The far-reaching digitization of society means these are turbulent times for journalism. News is freely available online, resulting in decreasing newspaper sales, social media taking up all of our time, and algorithms dishing up news items that are right up our – prejudiced – alley. It is high time for journalism to radically change its course! Right? Well, journalism doesn’t change that quickly, says Frank Harbers, assistant professor of Media and Journalistic Culture at the Faculty of Arts. And actually, Dutch journalism is not in that bad a state at all.

Leonardo Arriagada Beltran conducted his PhD research on the interface of computer-generated art and the constantly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He will defend his Phd thesis on 21 September. His research offers valuable insights into how AI is redefining artistic creativity.

AI-generated artworks are often more abstract than human art, but can be considered genuine when they satisfy the requirements of Computer and Cognitive Science, as well as Art Theory. Moreover, should AI-generated art adhere to the same social paradigms as human art? Time to ask Leonardo some questions.

Two ICOG researches have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant: Yuliya Hilevych and Geoff Hobbis . The European Research Council's (ERC) Starting Grants consist of €1.5 million each, for a period of five years. The grants are meant for outstanding researchers with the aim of stimulating cutting-edge research in Europe.

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has decided to award Veni grants to four researchers from ICOG: Mohamad El-Merheb, Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah, João C. Magalhães and E. S. Marteijn. With the grant money, the researchers will be able to further develop their own research ideas for three years.

Co-organized by Dr. Camilla Sutherland and Dr. Bob de Jonge, the exhibition Mariana Yampolsky: Photographer of 20 th Century Mexico is on display at the University Museum Groningen until the end of September.

Five researchers from the Faculty of Arts are involved in the interdisciplinary project 'HAICu: digital Humanities - Artificial Intelligence - Cultural heritage'. The project was awarded a NWA-ORC grant of 10.3 million euros. NWO-ORC is the program 'Research on Routes by Consortia' from the Dutch Research Agenda (Nationale Wetenschapsagenda, NWA ) of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a Vidi grant of up to €800,000 to Assistant Professor of Media and Journalism Studies Dr Çigdem Bozdag Bucak . With this grant, she can develop her own innovative five-year research plan.

Research into the archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (WIC) shows that the city of Groningen and several residents of Groningen were involved in the trade and exploitation of enslaved people. Historians dr Anjana Singh and Bram Tánczos, both from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, and Lieuwe Jongsma, curator of the Groninger Museum, recently presented the interim results of their research into the city's history of slavery. They are conducting their research on behalf of the municipality of Groningen.

Literature scholar Dr Konstantin Mierau talks to Chilean prisoners about literature. He asks them about the books they read, the characters they identify with, and the impact literature has on them. By doing so, he is exploring how literature can be used to reach prisoners and help them reintegrate into society. “I ask them questions that they never get asked.”

The proposed conference serves a two-fold purpose. First, it aims to uncover, discuss, and assess dissonances between the governance practices and lived experiences of human mobility and migration. Second, it turns scholarly attention to the concept of repair, i.e. subtle acts of care by which order, meaning and human value are maintained and transformed.

The submission deadline is 21 July 2023.

Dr. Julian Hanich has been awarded a research grant from NWO for research on the experience of cinematic beauty. The grant is from the Open Competition M programme, which is designed for free, curiosity-driven research within the social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Werner Distler and Dr. Eske van Gils have both been awarded research grants from the Gratama Foundation. Distler is receiving the grant for his project Hidden Archives of Peace and Conflict, Van Gils for her project on political cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union.

Recently, the University of the North awarded the first grants worth €75,000 from its Booster Fund. A project from ICOG was selected: ‘Digital literacy and inclusion; the basis for broad prosperity’ by Prof. Marcel Broersma , Professor of Media and Journalism Studies.