Al Obaedy, Rania (2025) Does the University of Groningen have a Responsibility to Redress its Colonial History? Bachelor thesis, Global Responsibility & Leadership (GRL).
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Abstract
This dissertation answers the question: In what ways is the University of Groningen (RUG) historically connected to Dutch colonialism, and should the university address this legacy? Through analysing historical artifacts, including gravestones located in the Academy Building, the university’s founding act (The Eternal Edict), and The Tree of Knowledge mural, this study demonstrates that the RUG has been linked to colonial structures since its foundation in 1614. Drawing on Alasia Nuti’s (2019:30-51) framework of historical-structural injustice and Gloria Wekker’s (2016:39) concept of the cultural archive, I argue that based on the RUG’s historical connection to colonialism, along with its continued reproduction of colonial structures and its failure to intervene in this reproduction and prevent further harm, it has acquired a structural debt that necessitates redress. To address this, I propose several interventions including contextualising colonial artefacts, revising the Tree of Knowledge mural, and establishing further research initiatives. Ultimately, this dissertation calls for a deeper reckoning with the university’s past as a crucial step toward meaningful decolonisation and institutional accountability.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Name supervisor: | McKeown, M.C. |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Feb 2025 18:50 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Feb 2025 18:50 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/585 |
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