Where do you work now and what does your job entail?
I am currently working for almost three years as a programme maker at the Boekman Foundation, knowledge centre for art, culture and policy in the Netherlands. In my job, I combine theory with practice. From research and the living world of art and cultural practice, I devise concepts which I then translate into programmes. You can think of a wide range of ways to bring and share knowledge into the world, such as conferences, panel discussions, podcasts or research sessions. On the one hand, there is a big content component to this (because: what are we going to talk about?) and, at the same time, there are very practical issues involved in bringing everything together such as a suitable venue, format or moderating a meeting.
Why did you choose to work in this field?
It is important for me to do work where I am in close contact with practitioners. What I mean by that is reading interesting theories and sitting behind my laptop can be valuable, but I find it more important to engage with people to get a fuller picture of what is really going on. Art and cultural practice is enormously broad and a place where thinking, imagining and making is based on creativity. Something that is essential for daring to think differently about how we organise society together. It is actually a kind of application of the basis I was given from my studies.
What did you learn during your studies that you now use in your work?
What is central within political science and all its specialisations is power relations. This is something you encounter within all facets of life and specifically in work environments. You are always dealing with a certain structure that you work in and have to relate to. And you often have to deal with different audiences in your work.
What my studies have taught me is to have an extra eye for different interests, specifically when one or more players in the field you work in is in a precarious or disadvantaged position (as can often be the case with cultural and creative makers/self-employed people). How can you organise the structures in which you work in a fairer and more equitable way? And how do you make space for voices, ideas and knowledge that are insufficiently valued? Especially my perspective on how knowledge is created and what kind of knowledge is recognised, which I was working on a lot during my studies and thesis, is something I reflect on recurrently in my work at a knowledge centre.
How did you experience this programme at Radboud University? In your opinion, what made this programme special?
Political Theory is a small Master's, which means you complete the study with a small group of fellow students. This ensures involvement and lots of room for your own input, giving you the space to explore what are interesting themes for you. Also, the team of lecturers is super approachable and supportive, which encouraged me to explore new topics or just gave me confidence in my own mindset.
What advice do you have for students choosing a Master's programme?
See if you can already find some common ground with the field of study you are going into, such as a side job, job shadowing days or volunteer position. This may be a bit self-explanatory, but what I mainly mean by that is: draw on the breadth of different work fields and contacts you have (indirectly). There is no one path to a career that suits you well, but rather a quest of better and better understanding where your strengths and interests lie. What this requires is to look outside the walls of the university in particular. If you combine that with a choice of study that really excites you, I believe you will end up the with those elements in the right place, even if it takes some time.