J.L.S. The (Jenna) MA

Jenna The (1997) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History, Art History and Antiquities (GKO). She is interested in cultural history of Europe, specifically the sensory and emotional experiences of the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century city.

Her dissertation examines the changing relationships between animals and humans in Amsterdam between 1840 and 1910. She does this from a sensory and emotional perspective: how did animals and humans experience each other through their senses and emotions, and how did they use their senses and emotions to cope with these shifting interactions and experiences? In doing so, she aspires to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges of human-animal relationships today. This research project is funded by NWO (PhDs in the Humanities).

Jenna completed both her Bachelor's degree in History (2020) and Master's degree in Modern and Contemporary History (2021) cum laude at Radboud University. In her master’s thesis, she investigated the sensory and emotional interaction between cyclists, motorists, and other road users in nineteenth-century Amsterdam. She also did a research internship on animal scents at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) for the project Odeuropa, which investigates European scent history. She was additionally on the editorial board of historical journal Ex Tempore and does editorial work for Geschiedenis Magazine.

• Categories Contested