Lezing
Lezing: Research across societal groups and disciplines
- Datum
- woensdag 4 november 2026
- Tijd
- Bezoekadres
- Spuigebouw
Spui 5
Den Haag - Zaal
- 3B.38
How do scholars in linguistics, ethnography and quantum physics study different communities?
What communities do you belong to? And what skills are needed to engage with other communities – or to research them?
Academic work is increasingly seen as team work. Scholars work together, not only within their own community but also across disciplines and beyond university walls. There, they find communities as diverse as spoken word artists and policy makers dealing with quantum technology.
Researching other communities raises questions regarding the position of the researcher: what type of relationship are you engaging in? Is it one-sided or a mutual collaboration? What are potential challenges of research methods like interviews and participatory research? Some scholars study communities they belong to themselves, which also prompts reflection on their position.
Such questions play a role in every academic discipline, from quantum physics to the humanities. Early career researchers from Leiden University will give short talks on the role of communities in their research in sociolinguistics, ethnography and science communication. The event will conclude with a panel discussion.
Speakers
Who Speaks for a Community?
Dr. Sanne Rotmeijer - Anthropology and Cultural Studies
What do people share when they belong to a community, and what might they disagree about? At Rotterdam’s Treasures Festival, I worked with artists and cultural partners with Cape Verdean, Brazilian, Surinamese and Curaçaoan ties. We discussed different ways to celebrate traditions, share them with the city, and give them new forms. In this talk, I will explore why communities rarely speak with one voice, and how my own background and role as a researcher and co-organizer shaped my place in the collaboration.
Sounding Human: Language and Belonging in the Age of AI
Dr. Naomi Truan - Linguistics
Linguists have long known that small details in how we speak and write tell others where we come from and which communities we belong to: an accent, a word choice, a spelling. Since generative AI entered everyday writing, people read these details for a new question as well: did a human write this? This talk looks at how online communities set and enforce new norms of sounding human, and what this tells us about how communities are built. What does it now take to prove you belong when the question is whether you are human at all?
The Quantum Hype
Muhammad Unggul Karami MSc - Physics
Recently there has been an increase in the attention to quantum technologies as it is predicted to have impact to the society. In analysing this quantum hype, I use the framework that portrays a hype as a wave that travel through spheres in the society: scientific, media, policy and market. In my research, I analyse how quantum technologies are communicated in those spheres. Additionally, I add a geographical dimension to my analysis to compare how local context can influence communication effort.