Bordering Up: Regulating Mobility Through Passes, Walls and Guards

All players on the world stage operate strategically in order to safeguard their interests. Political scientists at Leiden University cast light on this volatile interplay of forces. Their research helps voters, NGOs, governments and international organizations make smart choices in this complex and…

As far back as 1575, Leiden University researchers have been leaving their mark on the world.

What was the social function of the colonial civil law courts in eighteenth-century coastal Sri Lanka? Why did people choose to have their disputes settled by Dutch law courts?

Subproject of

This collaborative project aims to explore the history of the concept “barbarism” in Europe from the 18th century to the present, with a particular emphasis on the role of literature and art in the concept’s shifting functions.

The ties between Leiden University and South East Asia, especially Indonesia, have been strong for centuries.

Considering Mesoamerican Precolonial books as material objects

Have you ever stood in front of an abstract artwork and thought: “a monkey could have done that!”. As it turns out, you are wrong.

A History of Dutch Corruption and Morality showcases 300 years of change, continuity, and diversity in the history of Dutch political corruption and public morality. It analyses a series of corruption scandals and shows how the following debates were connected to the big changes of that time: from the…

The Night of Discoveries is an annual event in Leiden, focusing on science and culture. The Young Academy Leiden is a recurring contributor to the Night of Discoveries.

Exponential population growth and rapid urbanisation are prompting the development of gigantic African metropolises that must be supplied with resources such as food, water and energy. This creates economic opportunities, drives migration and presents political challenges. Researchers from Leiden combine…

Diplomatica: A Journal of Diplomacy and Society addresses the broad range of work being done across the social sciences and the humanities that takes diplomacy as its focus of investigation.

Having encountered a series of shocks that pose an existential threat to our livelihoods, our societies have become increasingly polarized.

SAILS (Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences) is a universitywide initiative aimed at facilitating collaboration across disciplines on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is one of Leiden University's interdisciplinary programmes.

The EG track is built on the foundation of MPA courses in which you gain understanding of the complexities of public institutions and acquire advanced academic skills. Specialisation courses focus on the welfare state, markets and competition, and political economy.

High-quality education, a broad choice of bachelor’s programmes and personal support in a student city. And that’s just for starters. Leiden University offers you the ideal basis for enjoying the time of your life and a world-class career.

Managing Diversity: Supervising Functions in Managing Colonial Workplaces

The oldest university in the Netherlands has produced many well-known scientists. Some of them are known to the wider public; others are perhaps less well known, but their achievements are no less impressive.

The nanoscale structure of a catalyst under reaction conditions determines its activity, selectivity, and stability. For the production of sustainable energy and materials, new catalysts are needed. By understanding the structure-activity relationships of catalysts under reaction conditions, insight…

Every year, the World Cultural Council grants special acknowledgements to five to ten young researchers or scholars of the host country who have achieved outstanding performance in the fields of science, education or arts.

European product safety law is one of the focal points of internal market legislation.

If we want to solve global problems, we need to know about both the theory and the practice. How does the international community make decisions about military intervention, for instance? Why is it such a complex process? Professor Herman Schaper has represented the Netherlands at the United Nations…

How did colonial law work to turn people into property? This project argues that colonial ideas about households and domestic authority were critical to legal processes of enslavement in the early modern Dutch empire. Using colonial court records from Dutch Brazil, Suriname, and the Moluccas, the project…

How and why governments engage with civil society as well as how civil society organizes itself and exerts political influence constitute the key focus of the research programme Public Governance & Civil Society. As such, this research programme offers unique expertise within the field of public administration…

What are the institutional dynamics of the adoption of internal market legislation?

A post-colonial approach to the concept of time in the past and present Maya culture

We are very excited to announce our Sustainability Series for 2023-2024. Each month an interactive workshop will be organised that discusses a specific theme of sustainability. Interested about sustainability? Do not hesitate to sign up to our events !

The organisations and people who implement government policy face many different types of change. Academics from Leiden University research how they deal with these and advise them on how best to meet the needs and wishes of society.

Living systems scale from unicellular microbes to complex multispecies communities that constantly change over time. Within the theme Development & Disease, we enhance our fundamental understanding of development and homeostasis of living cells and systems. We analyze the normal situation and how stresses…

Your time at Leiden and Delft is about more than just studying. Some of your best experiences will stem from being a part of our lively and diverse student community, as well as from life in these beautiful cities.

The Chemical Probe Facility is part of the Leiden Early Drug Discovery & Development (LED3) center. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is one of the pillars of chemical biology. ABPP determines the activity of entire protein families in living cells and tissues under physiological conditions, such…

With the unique programme in Global Archaeology at Leiden University you will explore the archaeological past of Europe, the Mediterranean and West Asia, or the Americas. You address the impact of global developments on the area of your choice. The courses prepare you for a career as a regional archaeologist…

Meet the LUGO Board! To contact a specific member, send an email to greenoffice@leidenuniv.nl with their name in the heading.

The Leiden Greek and Roman History Team concentrates on the study of the economies, societies and cultures of the large empires of the Graeco-Roman world, starting with the empires of Alexander the Great and his successors.

With our research and teaching, we help make the world a better place. We join in the academic and public debate, and seek answers to economic and social issues – not just at the local and regional level but at the global one too.

The World Politics Major at Leiden University College The Hague examines the big ideas and the powerful forces – political, military, economic, social and cultural – that shape the world at every level, from the global to the local and everything in between. Political conflict is a key driver of many…

LUCDH are delighted to offer students of the Humanities a range of courses in the Digital Humanities and Cultural Analytics minor to develop their digital skills and critical thinking.

LUCDH are delighted to offer students of the Humanities a range of courses in the Digital Humanities and Cultural Analytics minor to develop their digital skills and critical thinking.

You can register for semester 1 courses (academic year 2026/2027) from the 8th of June 2026.

Explore the programme structure of the MSc The Politics of Artificial Intelligence at Leiden University: core courses, elective seminars, internship option, thesis research and real-world AI governance cases.

During a visit, Queen Máxima spoke with researchers about projects exploring climate change, collections and culinary heritage.

Sharing your knowledge with a broad audience? It’s fun – and it brings you something as well. Researchers Dietsje Jolles and Rachel Plak can attest to that. They have been taking part in science events for years. ‘Contact with the public leads to new insights.’

Turn-taking and turning points in violent encounters.

De minor Economie en Beleid van de Universiteit Leiden leert je oplossingen te vinden voor problemen waar het Nederlandse openbaar bestuur elke dag aan werkt.

The international bachelor's programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology covers three years, allowing you to establish a firm foundation and specialise in topics that you find interesting.

Are you keen to develop your digital skills and critical thinking? Then the Digital Humanities and Cultural Analytics minor might be something for you.

Reports from Quebec media show the French-Canadian far-right organisation La Meute dealt itself another self-inflicted blow this week, with several club executives being forced out of the group and having a former co-founder, Patrick Beaudry, publicly declare ‘the ship is sinking.’

Sinds de oorlog in Gaza neemt antisemitisme in Nederland toe. Het kabinet presenteerde vorige week maatregelen om deze opkomst terug te dringen. Marloes van Noorloos, Universitair hoofddocent straf- en strafprocesrecht, gaf bij EenVandaag uitleg over de strafbaarheid van antisemitisme.