Why did you choose this Master's programme?
After finishing my bachelor in American Studies, I decided to further explore my interests in the US, and add a more international aspect, in the interdisciplinary program that Transatlantic Studies offers. I really enjoyed the variety of courses, such as American Culture in a Global Context for which I examined Black American representations of Black African cultures in my final paper. In addition, I found the course Practices of Transatlantic Studies particularly interesting because we were stimulated to work with digital archives. This connected well to the work I was simultaneously doing as a research assistant to two professors of our master program, for which I used a digital archive to find and analyze Dutch newspaper articles about the Black Freedom Struggle in the twentieth century.
Another course I enjoyed was the Red and Black Atlantic, which inspired me to write my master’s thesis about Black solidarity between Black American and Black Dutch activists. I am currently researching how Atlantic slavery and its legacies, such as racism, form the basis for the connection between Black activists in the US and the Netherlands. I will not only study theories about Black solidarity or historical events related to transatlantic exchanges between Black activists, but also conduct interviews with Black Dutch activists to include their experiences and views regarding Black solidarity in my research.
Why would you recommend this Master's program?
The Transatlantic Studies program enables students to explore and deepen interests outside of the master’s as well. During my bachelor’s and master’s I frequently researched topics such as racism, anti-racism and (representations of) Blackness. This has motivated me to be closely involved in organizing anti-racism campaigns at the Radboud University since 2019. Furthermore, I am working as a student assistant to a philosophy professor while I finish my thesis. I have also started the master’s Colonial and Global History at Leiden University to extend my knowledge of the Dutch colonial past, an interest I developed during my time at Radboud. The program of Transatlantic Studies allows you to gain valuable knowledge, skills and experience that will be useful in the future.