“Revisiting ‘Universality’ and ‘Inclusivity’ by Eline Westra

Eline Westra's research traces five decades of political debates on the (social) citizenship of Surinamese-Dutch citizens, from the 1970s to the present. Through archival research and a discursive analysis of policy documents, legislation, and activist claims-making, she uncovers both explicit exclusions and more subtle, often silenced, inequalities that shape the postcolonial Dutch welfare state today. In this talk, Westra will highlight the historical role of activists in exposing and challenging these persistent inequalities and discuss how welfare scholars can meaningfully engage with activist knowledge in their research.
 

What        

Eline Westra, “Revisiting ‘Universality’ and ‘Inclusivity’: on the Racial and Colonial Dimensions of Dutch Social Policy”

When       

6 May, 15.30-17.00, followed by drinks at CREA Café. 

Where      

REC B5.12, Common Room Anthropology (Roeterseiland, B-building, 5th floor) 
If you are not able to join in person, you can also follow the talk and discussion via the live stream. 

Welfare Futures Seminar Upcoming Events

June 6: Anouk de Koning's inaugural lecture as professor of Power, Politics and the State

Bio Eline Westra

Eline Westra is a PhD candidate in the political science department at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on postcolonial citizenship and Surinamese-Dutch activism in the Netherlands. In a recently published article, she analyzed the perspectives of Black feminists from the 1980s on the Dutch welfare state and examined how their political demands resonate in contemporary societal debates. Additionally, she published an intersectional analysis of the childcare benefits scandal.