Nowadays, you can’t walk past a sex shop without seeing them in all sizes, shapes (I once saw one with Karl Marx’s face engraved on it) and colours: vibrators. Whereas today they are an integral part of the bedside table and of social conversations with friends, in the 19th century they were not the symbol […]
Deafness: Something to be cured?
Since time immemorial, humans have coped with deafness by using hearing aids. These were often trumpet-like, designed to focus soundwaves and channel them into the ear. However, these tools only amplified sound, and thus were only useful to people who were hard of hearing. Those who were completely deaf instead developed sign languages to communicate. […]
Learning to convert our evil spirits: mental illness and health in the Yoruba culture
If there is anything us humans can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that our daily lives are influenced significantly by nature and external factors that we can’t control. Although modern or ‘Western’ medicine helps us battling numerous diseases, sometimes finding a cure isn’t that easy or even impossible. Many cultures around the world […]
Rightful transactions? African objects in Western museums
In the beginning of July earlier this year, the Belgian AfricaMuseum (also known as the Royal Museum for Central Africa) in Tervuren requested additional funding to research the acquisition of thousands of objects from its collections. Of the 128 000 items it stores, one percent is known to be looted during the colonial era. Sixty […]
The credibility of museums: is it real or not?
On Monday, 13 May of 1619, the Land’s Advocate of Holland Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1547 – 1619) was beheaded. He was accused of treason by the States-General in, what is later called, a “show trial”. The Rijksmuseum houses a sword, which was said to be “the sword” with which Van Oldenbarnevelt was beheaded. The Rijksmuseum […]
Say their names, remember their names, collect their names
Listen to this soundtrack while reading this blogpost: The object The ‘Doodskist Black Pride 2020’ is a white coffin for a human body, with silver carrier handles on the side. In total, there are four of these coffins. The names of victims of anti-black and anti-queer violence are written on the lid with markers. The […]
‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’: the use of models in hygiene lectures in Victorian England
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, much more attention has been paid to hygiene, such as washing your hands regularly. Nowadays, we assume everyone knows that that will help against the spread of diseases. In Victorian England, this was not yet the case. The importance of clean water and personal hygiene was unknown for a long time […]
Who owns the street? What a pavement tile can tell us about prostitution rights in Amsterdam
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in restricting the rights of prostitutes. Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, as long as the concerned party has a permit. The Netherlands are an exception in how they deal with topics such as prostitution and drugs. While some people are still discussing whether the legalizing of prostitution […]
The Anti-Gas Fan: How a Female Inventor Found a Way Into a Man’s World of War
It’s the 22nd of April, 1915 in Ypres. You’re a British soldier during the First World War and you’re looking in the direction of the enemy. It is a cloudy day, but below the rain clouds you see a cloud that is much closer to the ground, and it is moving towards you. Then, all […]
From historical cartoon to digital meme: the iconography of anti-vaxxers throughout history
You have probably seen it plenty of times on social media: the vaccination debate. After two years of COVID and more than half a year after the first COVID-vaccine came out, the discussion is all too familiar and still so topical. Especially the smaller group of fanatical anti-vaxxers are clearly heard and seen on social […]