Research Projects
past and present
PhD research
Jewellery and ritual
I earned my PhD at Leiden University, with a study on jewellery in the Egyptian zār. I chose this topic to work on, because it is an excellent example of my general aim: to show how jewellery is not just adornment, but a living aspect of a culture and in a person’s life. And what is more: how jewellery in collections still holds an amazing capacity as a historic source.
The result is my book Silver of the Possessed: read more about it here!
collections in context
Collection History
How did items of personal adornment end up abroad? Much of it was sold off after World War II, when travel and work migration increased. Notably on the Arab Peninsula, foreigners collected jewellery, dress and related objects in a region unknown to many people. What sparked their interest? Who did they buy from? What stories have they heard? I’m delving into the history of collecting, by going back to the archives as a first step. The Expatriate Archive Center in The Hague holds a document and film archive that I have been granted access to. Interviews with collectors and organizations will help me provide context to collecting. This research will be published in a series of articles.
