On 27 March, together with Utrecht University, we will present the annual Dr Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Prize. The award is given to the best thesis on intangible cultural heritage. This year’s Heritage Lecture will be delivered by Dr Jaswina Elahi.
Register here for the Dr Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Prize award ceremony and the Heritage Lecture
The nominees
Nominated for the fourth edition of the Dr Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Prize are Carina Lopez (KU Leuven), Dorien De Vrindt (University of Antwerp) and Myrthe Knip (Utrecht University). Their theses were selected from sixteen submissions.
The nominated theses
- Dorien De Vrindt – Beyond the museum walls: strengthening sustainable collaborations between museums and communities, groups and individuals
- Myrthe Knip – What you take with you when you have to leave everything behind: the meaning of Syrian culinary heritage in the memories and migration experiences of Syrian-Dutch communities
- Carina Lopez – Flamenco as living heritage in a context of migration: flamenco dance as a socio-cultural practice in identity formation and heritage experience among Spanish Limburgers (1965–present)
Prize money and a unique trophy
During the award ceremony, the three nominees will each have the opportunity to briefly present their thesis. The winner will receive a cash prize of €1.000 and a unique handcrafted trophy.
With this prize, we aim to encourage research into intangible cultural heritage and to support early-career researchers in their academic development. The prize is named posthumously after Dr Albert van der Zeijden, a leading historian with a strong commitment to intangible heritage.
Heritage Lecture: Dr Jaswina Elahi
This year’s annual Heritage Lecture will be delivered by Dr Jaswina Elahi. Her lecture argues that postcolonial heritage is fundamentally transnational and performative, and that the gap between theoretical innovation in heritage studies and heritage policy practice must be bridged. Drawing on her position as a cultural scholar and as a descendant of indentured labourers, she analyses how heritage emerged within global colonial networks and continues to live on today through diaspora practices between Suriname, the Netherlands, India and Indonesia.
Overarching theme
The afternoon will focus on diaspora and migration. This theme is central to both the Heritage Lecture and the nominated theses.
Where?
Janskerkhof 2-3, 0.19, Universiteit Utrecht. Click here for more information and itinerary.
Registration
You are very welcome to attend. We kindly ask you to register in advance. Registration applies to both the award ceremony and the lecture; these cannot be attended separately.
The ceremony will take place in the afternoon. Further details regarding the timings will follow shortly.
Register here
Photograph taken during the Dr Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Prize award ceremony in 2024, held on 11 April 2025. The prize was awarded to Vivian Sakko. Other nominees were Eelke Veltman and Wendy van Leuven. The trophy was made by Elze Kloen.