Introducing: Marijke Kooijman
Marijke Kooijman recently joined the Institute for History as a postdoctoral researcher within the NWO-funded project 'Roman Fake News? Documentary Fictions in the Roman Empire' under the supervision of Rens Tacoma. Below, she introduces herself.
Thank you, dear colleague, for reading this introduction. I hope we will meet soon in person, but until then, let this brief personal note suffice. My name is Marijke Kooijman, and I am most happy to have returned, with a newly obtained doctor’s title, to my alma mater: I was a student here from 2011 to 2019. In this long and formative period, I not only cherished the beauty of Leiden – studying here was my childhood dream – but also completed a Bachelor’s in Greek and Latin Language and Culture (GLTC), next to a Bachelor’s in Dutch Law at Tilburg University, and finally the Research Master in Ancient History. In January 2020, three months before the lockdown, I left for Ghent (Belgium), where a new adventure was awaiting me: five wonderful years of PhD research. Now I am back, for (at least) two years, and I would love to get in touch with you!
Research: Emperors and Bishops in Late Antiquity
My research focuses on official documents in the fourth and fifth century CE, especially imperial and episcopal letters. These I explored during my PhD as part of Lieve Van Hoof’s project ‘Lobbying in Late Antiquity’, resulting in my dissertation entitled ‘Deciding on Chalcedon. The Letter Collections of Bishop Leo and Emperor Marcian (AD 448-457)’. It examines how Bishop Leo I of Rome and the Eastern Roman Emperor Marcian negotiated their authority by writing letters, sending them strategically to the right groups and persons, and publishing them in collections. Ultimately, it hopes to demonstrate that letters were the contemporary means through which the key figures of Chalcedon determined the meaning of the council, and thus, ultimately, decided on Chalcedon. If this sparks your interest, do let me know, and we’ll talk more!
Project with Rens Tacoma: Fake News in the Historia Augusta
Here in Leiden I am a proud member of the ‘Roman Fake News’ team, working together with Indira Huliselan in the project of Rens Tacoma. My task is to unravel the socio-political meaning behind the documentary fictions in the Historia Augusta, a (probably) fourth-century series of largely fictitious imperial biographies, spanning from the reign of Hadrian (r. AD 117-138) to that of Numerianus (r. until AD 285). For a quick introduction to the ‘fake news’ factor of this work, I can recommend the following YouTube video: https://youtu.be/8sKZHABak2M?feature=shared. But of course, again, we can also talk in person.
Next to studying in Late Antiquity, I love to teach, and will do so during the first semester of 2025-2026. I am a yogi, preferably spend my time in nature (hence my new home in ‘countryside’ Sassenheim), and have an active interest in promoting mental health in the workspace. If any of this resonates with you, do send me an email, and we’ll meet for a cup of tea or a leisurely walk along the Singel: m.p.e.kooijman@hum.leidenuniv.nl.