5 talented Leiden humanities scholars have received a Vidi research subsidy of 800.000 euros to set up or expand their own line of research.

Language is a little bit like owning a mobile phone. We use it all the time, but we don’t really understand how it works. Where is language located in our brain? Do all humans have language? These and many other questions will be answered by professor Marc van Oostendorp in the MOOC Miracles of Human…

Since the end of May, the Faculty of Humanities 'Humanities Matter' art route has been on display. Due to the many positive responses, we have decided to postpone the end date of the exhibition from July 8 to August 28. So if you haven't walked the route yet, this is your chance!

On October 31 and November 1, the second Moving Humanities conference will be organised by the University of Groningen and Radboud University. Moving Humanities offers a podium to graduate students from all disciplines in the humanities, and aims to promote cross-disciplinary collaborations. This year,…

Human failures or faults in systems are certainly just as harmful as a targeted attack by hackers. That is what Leiden professor in cybersecurity Bibi van den Berg says in the Haarlems Dagblad. She states the recent huge disruptions at Schiphol are interesting examples.

During pre-Columbian times, the Central American isthmus was marked by dynamic exchange and human mobility. Despite this, indigenous communities were archaeologically stable between AD 300 and the 16th-century Spanish colonisation, contrasting with the cycles of florescence and decline of neighbouring…

On 27-28 January 2022, Leiden University’s interdisciplinary seed grant programme ‘Beyond Anthropocentric Interests and Values? Human Rights and Climate Change’ will host a conference on human rights and climate change. Researchers are welcome to join and contribute their view. The deadline for the…

The new Humanities Hub in the Huizinga Building was officially opened on Tuesday 3 December. In the different labs, researchers presented the options for using digital technologies in humanities research.

According to the yearly Times World University Ranking, Leiden’s Humanities Faculty ranks 25th in the world, making it the highest ranked Dutch university in the subject area ‘Arts and Humanities’.

The Leiden University Centre for the Digital Humanities (LUCDH) invites applications from Leiden University staff and students for funding aimed at developing Digital Humanities activities.

Future proofing student skills with a new cohort of Digital Humanities & AI students.

The Moving Humanities Conference will be held at the University of Groningen on October 31st and November 1st. Organised by Radboud University and the University of Groningen, this conference brings together master’s students, PhD candidates, and scholars from various fields within the humanities.…

On Friday November 10th, the Master's Information Day took place. Students from The Netherlands and abroad came to Leiden to see which Humanities master's programme was for them.

An international research team consisting of Katharina Riebel as leading PI and two international collaborators were awarded a Human Frontier Science Program grant for their proposal ‘Seeing voices’: the role of multimodal cues in vocal learning.

On Monday 10 December, the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights dr. Adam Bodnar delivered the eighth Raymond and Beverly Sackler Distinguished Lecture on Human Rights at Leiden Law School. The event marked the annual celebration of International Human Rights Day, which was proclaimed to commemorate…

Humour, science and creativity. During the Humanities Lab Film Festival this came all together in the short films that the students of the Honours College Humanities have made in the last few weeks. “Working together with people of different studies is inspiring.”

On 11 June 2025, the MA in International Relations (MAIR) Programme convened its 2nd Humanities & IR Graduate Conference at The Hague Campus (Schouwburgstraat), welcoming over sixty participants from twenty institutions in Europe, North America, and Asia.

On Monday 9 May 2022, GTGC Visiting Researcher Derin Atiskan presented her work to the GTGC Global Justice and Human Rights and the GTGC Identity and Inequalities groups. The presentation was titled: "The Puzzle of International Norm Transfer: Exploration of Women’s Rights Recommendations Made through…

An experimental approach to organic palaeolithic technology

In our rapidly evolving and interconnected world, the study of International Relations has expanded beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. Leiden University’s MA in International Relations program (MAIR - Humanities), with its emphasis on humanities-oriented and multidisciplinary perspectives,…

In our rapidly evolving and interconnected world, the study of International Relations has expanded beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. Leiden University’s MA in International Relations program (MAIR-Humanities), with its emphasis on humanities-oriented and multidisciplinary perspectives, contends…

In our rapidly evolving and interconnected world, the study of International Relations has expanded beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. Leiden University’s MAIR program, with its emphasis on humanities-oriented and multidisciplinary perspectives, contends that understanding the complexities…

This project investigates the causes of the major archaeological change in the period of 40.000-20.000 BC in South Africa.

A more powerful and prosperous China is exerting unprecedented influence on global affairs and the Chinese government is openly pursuing a proactive diplomacy. Reflecting the importance of these developments, The Hague Journal of Diplomacy is now calling for paper proposals for a special issue.

Citizens underestimate their role, but they really can make a difference, says legal specialist Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen. Combatting injustice is still the mission of this former National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence against Children. She will deliver the Cleveringa lecture…

Like other big cities, The Hague is facing a severe teacher shortage. A new university teaching degree might help solve this problem. Research has shown that secondary school students would be interested in this option.

Representatives of the Faculty of Archaeology recently traveled to the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius to repatriate human remains. The remains, originally excavated in the 1980s, will eventually be reinterred on the island.

Wednesday morning, the faculty was teeming with newly arrived international students, who will be starting their master’s programme or exchange programme next week. Over 150 students took part in the Introduction Morning of the Faculty of Humanities.

Playing a game, picking a cutting for your room or just having a cup of coffee: it is all possible in the new Humanities Living Room in the Matthias de Vrieshof. From Wednesday 17 May, staff and students will be able to meet informally and socialise here.

He is the chair of the Faculty Council, Director of Education at the Institute for Philosophy and a Fellow of the Leiden Teachers’ Academy, and was recently appointed for three years as chair of the Humanities Lab. This is the Honours College programme of the Faculty of Humanities for students of all…

The project Hybrid Intelligence receives 19 million euros from the Gravitation programme of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The consortium consists of six Dutch universities and combines human and artificial intelligence, aiming to amplify human intelligence instead of replacing it. Leiden professors…

Pop-up restaurant Happietaria has opened its doors in Leiden once again. Come and tuck in for charity between 4 February and 2 March. Students from Christian associations in Leiden will be preparing a delicious menu, and the proceeds will go to a charity that fights human trafficking in Southeast As…

The Fryske Akademy, the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning, the Professorship Multilingualism and Literacy of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, the department of Frisian Studies of the University of Groningen, and the department Language, Technology…

On 13 June, Jorrit Rijpma spoke on migration and border control at sea at the Summer School “Open Sea on Migrations, Sea Border Control and Human Rights” organized by the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Migrants’ Rights in the Mediterranean based at the University of Naples (“Orientale”).

Early cave paintings of hunting scenes may give the impression our Stone Age ancestors lived mainly on chunks of meat, but plants were just as key to their survival. Plants rich in starch helped early humans to thrive even at the height of the last Ice Age, Leiden archaeologist Amanda Henry tells Horizon…

The Faculty of Humanities has been ranked 17th Arts and humanities faculty in the Times Higher Education world ranking 2015-16. This makes it the top non-Anglo-Saxon institution on the list. The position is 7 places up in comparison with last year's list.

Leiden researchers have developed a new method of determining the geographic origin of humans. Archaeologist Jason Laffoon and his team used the technique to discover where precolonial pioneers in the Caribbean region came from.

The human dimension must be brought back to the fore, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in response to the child benefits scandal. But how? A group of researchers – including Leiden psychologist Sandra van Dijk – have written a book offering practical suggestions. They presented the book to Rutte on 28…

On 16-17 June 2022, Valentina Carraro presented a paper on ‘Overlapping Institutions in the United Nations human rights system’ at the Politicologenetmaal conference, Radboud University, Nijmegen.

On 24 February 2022, Melanie Fink from the Europe Institute at the Leiden Law School presented her research to the Global Justice and Human Rights thematic area during a research seminar.

From 9-12 April 2018, the Department of Child and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies have organised in cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation a training programme on Human Rights and Children.

The ECtHR needs to provide effective rights protection, but it also needs to set clear standards while showing deference to decisions made at the national level. Especially when socio-economic issues are concerned, meeting these different demands is a challenging task.

On Thursday 10 November, the Night of the Lobbyist was held. During this public event, organised by Leiden University and the Public Affairs Academy, many insights were shared regarding the different aspects of lobbying and the diversity of the world of the lobby.

Rapid developments in DNA techniques allow researchers to find out more and more about human genetics. An international group of scientists has drawn up five ethical guidelines to ensure that this DNA research is better regulated. Leiden archaeologist Marie Soressi – one of the signatories - explains…

‘Islam and Muslims are not something that happened to Europe; they are part of Europe. In fact, Islam is one the biggest constants in European history,’ argues Professor Maurits Berger in the new eight-part History of Islam in Europe podcast series of the Leiden University Faculty of Humanities.

Computers are increasingly able to accomplish tasks that are difficult for human experts, such as diagnosing diseases or detecting credit card fraud. While the earliest examples of computational thinking can be traced back to the 13th century, according to Holger Hoos, Leiden Professor of Machine Learning,…