Three RICH researchers receive NWO grants for innovative research

21 May 2025 News item

Three researchers of the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH) have been awarded an Open Competition XS grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). In the first round of 2025, eight Radboud University projects were awarded, three of which are projects by RICH researchers: Coen van Galen, Matthias Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge and Jan Julia Zurné.

XS grants are aimed at small-scale, innovative research projects in the fields of social sciences and the humanities. They offer space to explore experimental ideas and to set up new lines of research.

Coen van Galen – Counting the uncounted

How many people lived in slavery in Surinam between 1650 and 1863? This question is central to the project of Dr Coen van Galen. He is developing a new demographic model to estimate the total number of enslaved people. Existing models were not suitable due to the extremely high death rates at plantations. Thanks to numerous historical sources from Surinam, this research project offers an important contribution to the social and scientific debate around slavery.

Matthias Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge – Helpers in Hardship

Dr Matthias Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge is researching family ties among enslaved people in Surinam between 1848 and 1863. By drawing connections within the recently published slave registers, family ties through the mother’s side can be reconstructed of approximately 60.000 individuals. Moreover, together with two student assistants he researches paternal family networks on four plantations, based on missionary sources. The project offers unique insights into family networks and survival strategies, and helps descendants discover their family history.

Jan Julia Zurné – Behind the scenes of justice

Dr Jan Julia Zurné focuses on interrogation practices in the aftermath of the Second World War. Since early 2025, researchers have frequently consulted the Central Archive of Special Proceedings (CABR), but what took place behind the scenes? Who were the interrogators, how were they trained and what patterns can be found in the reports of the interrogations? This project helps users of the CABR better understand the context and reliability of the files.

Contact information

Organizational unit: Radboud Institute for Culture and History, Faculty of Arts
About person: Dr C.W. van Galen (Coen) , Dr M.T. Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge (Matthias) , Dr J.J. Zurné (Jan Julia)