The research project ‘Traumascapes: Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain and Loss’ will explore not only places tied to human memory but also landscapes where nature itself was targeted for damage or destruction. The team will also investigate landscapes where state intervention led to the exploitation of natural resources, such as the gas fields in Groningen. Another focus is traumascapes linked to the colonial past, such as the large-scale deforestation of Bonaire during colonial rule.

This six-year project brings together archaeologists, historians, geographers, psychologists, neuroscientists and civil society organisations. Their approach combines a range of methods from archaeological and technical methods, such as soil scans and aerial photography, to archival research, community-based investigations and artistic projects such as dance and theatre.

Together with Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam, the following institutions are working on the project: Amsterdam University of the Arts, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Heritage House South Holland, Westerbork Memorial Centre, Jewish Cultural Quarter, KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Maastricht University, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Natuurmonumenten, Open University, Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, Radboud University Nijmegen, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Pelita Foundation, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Leiden University, Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam, VALUE Foundation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wageningen University & Research. All the research in the programme will be real teamwork, involving not only academic partners but also communities and other stakeholders.