A.C. Penders (Allesandra)

I joined Radboud University as a PhD candidate, conducting research on outer space and colonialism with supervision from Dr. Alana Osbourne and Dr. Rianne van Melik. My research aims to explore the construction of security threats as a colonial legacy/continuity in “justifying” extractivism across time, from empire to orbit. Hence, I plan to research how security threats and narratives of fear are discursively constructed to legitimize (space) extractivism, and how these discourses connect terrestrial (neo)colonial extraction histories with contemporary outer space mining initiatives.

Previously, I acquired a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (University College Maastricht) and an MSc in the Cultures of Arts, Science and Technology from Maastricht University. My academic background primarily spans science and technology studies (STS), cultural/media studies, sociology, and recently, the social studies of outer space (SSOS).