“Selling the past to remember it”: Upcoming keynote at Utrecht University Heritage Lecture & Thesis Award event (11 April 2025)

For this year, I happily accepted the invitation to deliver the keynote for the UU Heritage Lecture and the Dr. Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Award event organised yearly by Utrecht University and the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage (KIEN). https://www.immaterieelerfgoed.nl/nl/activiteiten/uitreiking-dr-albert-van-der-zeijdenscriptieprijs-heritage-lecture There is still time to register for this upcoming event taking place in exactly three week's time … Continue reading “Selling the past to remember it”: Upcoming keynote at Utrecht University Heritage Lecture & Thesis Award event (11 April 2025)

This piece or that piece? The art of recruiting and puzzling an ERC FRICTIONS PhD research team together.

How do recruitment managers do this? How do they sort through CVs upon CVs of highly qualified candidates in order to shortlist the few that might proceed into the interview stage? How do they make the final decision after witnessing the brilliance of all the shortlisted candidates during the interviews? Flip a coin and hope … Continue reading This piece or that piece? The art of recruiting and puzzling an ERC FRICTIONS PhD research team together.

December to Remember: Afehyia Pa ooo

Then King David went in and sat [in prayer] before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house (family), that You have brought me this far? (2 Samuel 7:18 Amplified Version of The Holy Bible) What an incredible year it has been for me and my family! The … Continue reading December to Remember: Afehyia Pa ooo

Vacancy Notice: Three PhD positions for the ERC project, ‘The generative tensions of slavery and colonial heritage tourism’

I am excited to annouce that I am recruiting for 3 PhD positions on my ERC Starting Grant Project which are to start from September 2025. The vacancy details are below and have been published on the Wageningen University website and Academictransfer.nl https://www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/three-phd-positions-for-the-erc-project-the-generative-tensions-of-slavery-and-colonial-heritage-tourism.htm https://www.academictransfer.com/en/346580/three-phd-positions-for-the-erc-project-the-generative-tensions-of-slavery-and-colonial-heritage-tourism/ Check out the details if this is something for you or … Continue reading Vacancy Notice: Three PhD positions for the ERC project, ‘The generative tensions of slavery and colonial heritage tourism’

[New book chapter published!] The Sustainability Question in Heritage Tourism Development in Africa

There is always a season of weeding, planting, watering and caring before the season of harvest arrives. It's nice to have finally received the harvest of the collaborative work that went into developing this book chapter for the edited volume of the Routledge Handbook of Critical African Heritage Studies. Our chapter examines "The sustainability question … Continue reading [New book chapter published!] The Sustainability Question in Heritage Tourism Development in Africa

The Calabash Onder de Bigi Bon (Save the date!)

The completion of my NWO Veni project calls for a celebration, marking the end of my research journey through Ghana, Suriname, and the Netherlands. In 11 weeks, I will host a commemorative event titled "The Calabash Onder de Bigi Bon," inspired by Dr. Afua Twum-Danso Imoh, who previously organized an event called "The Calabash." This gathering will feature a screening of the film (edumentary) I created based on my project. The event is scheduled for December 6, 2024, in Wageningen, and registration details will be provided soon.

[New paper, Open Access] The spatial narratives and representation of slavery and colonial heritage on guided tours in Amsterdam

This paper discusses the representation of slavery and colonial heritage on guided tours in Amsterdam, focusing on the spatial narratives used by tour guides and the factors shaping these narratives. The research highlights the influence of creating a positive atmosphere in engaging tourists with these sensitive topics. Additionally, the study provides a spatial mapping of the specific geographic sites in Amsterdam where slavery and colonial heritage narratives are told. The paper aims to showcase the transformative potential of tourism and tour guides in addressing slavery and heritage in a European urban setting.

[New paper, Open Access] Beyond the Smile: The Infrapolitics of the Host in Volunteer Tourism

Beyond and behind our smiles of seeing this paper published sits many years of hardwork in drafting, redrafting, writing and rewriting to get this research paper ready. It has been a great team effort and it has been a pleasure working together with Amira Benali at Aalborg University, Denmark and Ana Maria Munar at Copenhagen … Continue reading [New paper, Open Access] Beyond the Smile: The Infrapolitics of the Host in Volunteer Tourism

Award: Emerging Scholar of Distinction

Last week (12 - 19 May), I got to attend the invite-only Academy conference 2024 of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism in Orlando, Florida. The conference was hosted at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management of the University of Central Florida. My attendance at this invite-only conference was on the basis that … Continue reading Award: Emerging Scholar of Distinction