© Will Truettner

Women’s Voices from the Mediterranean

What insights can women’s experiences, their use of language and their ways of communication add to our understanding of the early modern Mediterranean? Together with NIAS fellow Eric Dursteler, historian Maartje van Gelder and writers Nisrine Mbarki and Lamia Makkadam we explore women’s active participation in this multilingual region. What can insights from the early modern age tell us about today?

This NIAS Talk sheds light on women’s ways of communicating and their underexplored experiences in the Mediterranean. What defines using your voice? For some it is the freedom to speak your mind, for others it’s being able to speak multiple languages or to publish your writings. Whereas today social media and language apps have given an increasing number of women the power to communicate the way they want to, we know little about their experiences of navigating their voice back in the days.

How did women communicate in the early modern Mediterranean? What were there experiences? Recent years have seen growing interest in language and communication in this time and age, in particular its multilingual character. However, the focus has been largely on men; women have been almost entirely ignored. Recovering these experiences may tell us more about both women’s and men’s roles in society. Furthermore, what can insights from the early modern age tell us about today?

About the speakers

Eric Dursteler is Professor of History at Brigham Young University, England. His research focuses on the entangled history of the early modern Mediterranean, in particular gender, language, food and identity.

Maartje van Gelder is Associate Professor of early modern history and director of the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies. She’s a member of the Amsterdam Centre for Urban History. Her research focusses on urban history and the social and cultural history of politics. Van Gelder was a NIAS Fellow in 2018/19.

Nisrine Mbarki is a writer, poet, columnist and literary translator. Amongst others, Mbarki writes short stories and poetry, and translates poetry from Arabic to Dutch. She has appeared at festivals such as Poetry International, Globale Festival in Bremen, Winternachten, Read My World and the Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp. Her debut poetry collection Oeverloos (Endless) will be published in January 2022.

Lamia Makkadam is a poet, translator and journalist. She published three books of poetry in Arabic. Je zult me vinden in elk woord dat ik schrijf (2020) was translated from Arabic, a collaborative project between Makkadam and writer Abdelkader Benali. Makkadam also translates to Arabic, for example novels by Connie Palmen and Malva by former NIAS writer-in-residence fellow Hagar Peeters.

Zará Kars (moderator) is a Public Historian and Programme maker at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study.

Over deze programmareeks
Gerelateerde programma’s
04 11 25
Towards a common approach to Europe’s colonial past
European Integration and Co-Imperialism

Until recently, the former imperial nation states of Europe often regarded themselves as historically homogeneous nation states with a colonial past that was separate from their European continental history. Recent research shows that the European integration process was closely intertwined with modern imperialism and decolonization. Tonight, our speakers will discuss these new developments in historiography.  

Datum
Dinsdag 4 nov 2025 20:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
03 04 25
From World War II to Sudan, South Sudan, and Gaza
Hunger as a Weapon of War and Genocide

80 years after the ‘Hunger Winter killed an estimated 20,000 people in the western part of the Netherlands, the use of starvation is rising as a tool of war and genocide in global conflicts. Today, around 223 million people living in conflict-affected areas face starvation with devastating long-term consequences. Hunger extends beyond physical sustenance, encompassing moral, emotional, sensorial, and political dimensions. Taking World War II, contemporary Gaza, Sudan, and South Sudan as examples, our expert panel will explore the weaponisation of hunger in its historical, social, economic and political contexts. 

Datum
Donderdag 3 apr 2025 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25
21 03 25
Opera Forward Festival
What Does National Identity Sound Like?

*Unfortunately we will not have a livestream for this program*

How can we comprehend the connection between politics and music? In what ways does ‘the canon’ shape national identity, and how do policies and grassroots movements influence this dynamic? By exploring the sounds of national identity, the Think Tank of the Opera Forward Festival 2025 presents its insights into the musical aspects of nationalism, focusing on the impact of canonization, politics, and identity.

Datum
Vrijdag 21 mrt 2025 17:00 uur
Locatie
SPUI25