News
Anouk de Koning delivers her inaugural lecture on the ‘Intimate State’
On June 6, 2025, anthropologist Anouk de Koning delivered her inaugural lecture at the University of Amsterdam, titled The Intimate State: Remaking Political Landscapes in the Netherlands. In her lecture, she explored how the Dutch welfare state has, since 2015, been transformed into an "intimate state"—a seemingly human, close, and participatory government that carries out its social responsibilities through neighborhood teams and collaborations with citizens.
Read more'Advocacy by and for refugees in Rotterdam' door Lieke van der Veer
Lieke van der Veer’s lecture “Advocacy by and for refugees in Rotterdam” explores how refugee-led initiatives in Rotterdam navigate the tension between local engagement and bureaucratic demands. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, Van der Veer shows how ‘bridge-builders’ with a migration background operate within a landscape shaped by social inequality, policy jargon, and racial power dynamics. The lecture takes place on 16 September 2025 and is part of the Welfare Futures Seminar series
Read moreWelfare Futures Recap: Eline Westra on Universality and Inclusivity
During the May edition of the Welfare Futures seminar, Eline Westra gave a lecture on her PhD research into the history of social policy in the Netherlands. Although this policy is often presented as universal and inclusive, Westra demonstrated how it is deeply rooted in colonial and racialized structures that systematically marginalize groups such as Surinamese Dutch citizens. Her historical and ethnographic work reveals hidden dynamics within welfare systems and is therefore of great significance.
Read moreWelfare Futures Recap: Ruth Prince on Solidarity, Precarity, and the Limits of Social Protection in Kenya
Professor Ruth Prince delivered the opening lecture of the Welfare Futures seminar series. She spoke about pressure, precarity, and the limits of solidarity in Kenya, with a particular focus on how systems of social and financial protection are being shaped. Her lecture highlighted how the ideals of universal healthcare and social protection often clash with neoliberal reforms, limited public resources, and the growing influence of private actors.
Read more“Revisiting ‘Universality’ and ‘Inclusivity’ by Eline Westra
Eline Westra's lecture "Revisiting 'Universality' and 'Inclusivity': on the Racial and Colonial Dimensions of Dutch Social Policy" examines the racial and colonial dimensions of social policy in the Netherlands. This lecture is part of the Welfare Futures Seminar series and takes place on May 6, 2025.
Read moreWelfare future seminar by Ruth Prince: Pressure, precarity and the limits of solidarity
In the next Welfare Future Seminar, Ruth Prince will talk about understanding support systems in Kenya and formal and informal protection networks in her talk 'Pressure, precarity and the limits of solidarity: Navigating relations between formal and informal forms of social protection amidst class closure in Kenya.' This seminar takes place on the 7th of April in Amsterdam.
Read moreBureaucratic Feelings by Ed Kiely: upcoming Welfare Futures Seminar
Ed Kiely will present at our upcoming Welfare Futures seminar. On March 4th, they will talk about "Bureaucratic Feelings: Knowledge production, affective regulation and the administration of austerity." In this talk Kiely investigates the role of affect in the planning and delivery of public services.
Read moreThe Gluttonous State: upcoming Welfare Futures Seminar
Anouk de Koning will host the second edition of the Welfare Futures Seminar on February 4, 2025. In her talk 'The Gluttonous State: Remaking State and Society in the Netherlands', she argues that widespread policy desires for nearby, collaborative, and activating welfare programs generate a "gluttonous state".
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