Karwan Fatah-Black appointed as UNESCO Chair holder
Karwan Fatah-Black, a historian at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities and senior researcher at the KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, has been appointed as the UNESCO Chair holder in Comparative History of Slavery and the Transition to Citizenship. The new honorary chair will research the transition from slavery to citizenship, and why it proceeded differently in different societies. Karwan Fatah-Black was interviewed by UNESCO Youth Commission member Hajo Kiesling about this appointment.
Politics and research: there’s sometimes a clash, but the discussion continues
A recent news item also comes up in the interview. On 25 March 2026 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans to be “the gravest crime against humanity”. The Netherlands abstained from voting. Fatah-Black says that this Dutch position is “unfortunate, but understandable”, in view of the decision to describe the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime”: “The hierarchy that the resolution creates by describing one crime as the gravest is unfair to the victims of other crimes against humanity.” He situates the resolution in a longer international movement towards acknowledging the history of slavery, and therefore sees it as “a logical next step, given the UN’s earlier resolutions on slavery, discrimination and racism.”
Why comparison is needed
The honorary chair is centred on comparison. “The Dutch focus on the history of slavery doesn’t exist in isolation. You see similar processes in other societies,” says Fatah-Black. “In many societies, communities of enslaved people and their descendants don’t make a smooth transition to equal citizenship. This has been a subject of discussion since the nineteenth century, but as yet there’s not been enough discussion of how the transition proceeded in the kingdom of the Netherlands.”
Comparison helps to open up fixed narratives
“In many former slave-holding societies, you see that elites mostly present just one narrative about the past, in contrast to communities that hand down different memories and experiences,” says Fatah-Black. “In several societies you see continuity between the former slave-holding elites and the people who have a prominent position today. And conversely, you also see that communities of enslaved people’s descendants are still structurally excluded, and there is unequal citizenship. This is also evident in the Netherlands and former Dutch colonies.”
What the chair will do in the years ahead
The UNESCO Chair will build upon an ongoing research programme with PhD candidates and postdocs, which includes a book series on slavery and emancipation; four volumes have already been published and a fifth is currently being printed.
For Fatah-Black, the added value of the chair lies in making connections: “The combination of UNESCO and the university offers opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge sharing. This can add greater depth to the research and also intensify the discussion with society.”
However, international collaboration is not always straightforward. For example, a planned project with Venezuela has had to be postponed. This also shows that research on the history of slavery is still dependent on today’s world.
The Netherlands: not an exception, but a choice
In the Netherlands, historical slavery is sometimes portrayed as exceptional. Fatah-Black disagrees: “The Dutch story is not unique.” He also sees the Netherlands as searching for a position: exercising restraint in some international discussions, yet at the same time inclined to present itself as a “guide country”. This tension makes the chair even more relevant, in his view: it’s not an end point, but rather a step in a longer process where research, societal acknowledgement and politics continuously influence one another.
Karwan Fatah-Black: ‘“the postcolonial society is an irreversible fact”
He further emphasises that the postcolonial society is not a theory, but a reality: “an irreversible fact”. He says that research must assist in gaining a better understanding of current questions about citizenship, acknowledgement and inequality, without pretending that this is only a Dutch issue.
“We believe that this chair will contribute to our institute’s mission to produce quality research that furthers justice and envisions alternative futures beyond dominant perspectives.”
Diana Suhardiman, Director of KITLV
“This UNESCO Chair shows that the impact of our academics extends beyond the national borders. We are proud that Leiden University, together with partners and communities, will contribute to knowledge that helps in understanding the legacy of slavery and strengthening more inclusive citizenship.”
Sarah de Rijcke, Rector of Leiden University and UNESCO Commission member
What does a UNESCO Chair do?
UNESCO Chairs promote national and international collaboration on UNESCO themes, together with the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO. As experts and partners, they provide knowledge for projects and recommendations, and share ideas on setting up events; and as ambassadors and connectors, they act as a bridge with other national and international academic organisations, and communicate their insights on UNESCO themes to a large audience. There are 18 UNESCO Chairs in the Netherlands and more than 1,000 worldwide.
More information about the UNESCO Chairs: https://unesco.nl/leerstoelen.