Summertime
by Peter Versteeg (on behalf of the SpW team)— Between the blues and living easy, the summer break is at our doorstep. We asked the SpW team what…
by Peter Versteeg (on behalf of the SpW team)— Between the blues and living easy, the summer break is at our doorstep. We asked the SpW team what…
By Maaike Matelski – Four years after the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar was hit by a massive earthquake on 28 March 2025. While the earthquake may…
In this series we invite anthropologists to share stories of growth, change, and discovery throughout their careers. By reflecting on the life choices that shaped them, the unexpected…
By Joost Blokker – Flower wreaths were placed at the Jewish Children monument in The Hague on Yom HaShoah, a day on which Jewish communities around the world…
By Aleeha Ali I fear there will be war. I, from a continent away, think of my parent’s house. My family lives in a large city near the…
By Konstadina Naka – For the past three months, my master’s research has explored the complex world of the modern human-dog relationship in Amsterdam. This ethnographic journey took…
By Romy de Vos – “Look, a piece of slate from the roof,” I say to my hostess Iris*, as I hold out a thin plate of darkish-grey…
By Emma Arnold – We always visit my father’s grave on important days—his birthday, Christmas, and my parents’ wedding anniversary. It is a ritual: my mother, sister, and…
By Freek Colombijn – “Yes, I fear tomorrow I’ll be crying, Crying, Crying!” (King Crimson, Epitaph, 1969) Thomas Hylland Eriksen, one of the greatest anthropologists of our time…
Door Luka Hendrickx. Begin september fiets ik voor het eerst sinds ik het veldwerk voor mijn scriptieonderzoek afrondde de Polder weer binnen. Daarmee wordt in België de streek…
By Santiago Camara – Anthropologists are frequently told that “everything is data”, even the lack of data can be used to create an argument or come to conclusions.…
By Marina de Regt. On Thursday the 26th of September, my social media filled up with messages commemorating Yemen’s revolution of 1962. I read poems and short texts…
by the SpW editors – What are we up to this Summer? Marina: I look forward to driving along rugged Scottish coasts, hiking in breathtaking landscapes, and staying…
By Bariş Eser. Neither the student organizers nor the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Board of Directors (CvB) expected the outpouring of support upon the eviction of the first…
By Peter Versteeg – One day, we also took to the streets to protest against atrocities in a rather distant country We were only a few as nobody…
By Tess Zondervan – The wind is teasing me. As I try to keep my balance, resting my back onto the big wooden pillar around the magnetic compass…
The editors – This year it is exactly fifteen years ago that Standplaats Wereld came into being and the first blog was posted. Setting up a departmental blog…
By Fridus Steijlen – When I arrived in mid-January in Ambon for my second year at Pattimura University I saw Christmas and New Year decor on the streets,…
By Dilara Yentür – At 04:17 on February 6th, 2023 an earthquake ravaged the lands of southern Turkey and northern Syria. Buildings crumbled like sandcastles, roads tore apart,…
By Lilian Ebbelaar – During my time conducting fieldwork in a prison I have learned multiple things by actually doing fieldwork. The most important things I have learned…
By the SpW editorial team – Tidings When the dead call at your doorGive them sweets and presents,Candlelight and hot chocolateDon’t be afraid butWish them goodwillThey will pass…
by Freek Colombijn – Few people will have missed the fact that the PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid, Party for Freedom) has been the big winner of the…
by Ellen Bal, Freek Colombijn, Ton Salman, Irene Stengs and Marjo de Theije – Our friend, former colleague, and eminent anthropologist Oscar Salemink passed away on 23 September…
By Wiebe de Jong – Creating real illusion A good story is one that gives you the feeling that you are really there. But how can one immerse…