Science under pressure in the US: Cultural scholar continues her research in Leiden
Growing political pressure and increasing restrictions on academic freedom forced Cultural Studies scholar Maisha Wester to leave her tenured research position at Indiana University. Thanks to the Tulip Fund grant, she will now continue her work at Leiden University.
Censorship, budget cuts and the termination of academic programmes. Maisha Wester worked at Indiana University in the United States from 2013, but says that in recent years, it became increasingly difficult for her and her colleagues to carry out their research. As an Associate Professor in Black Diaspora Studies and in American Studies, she witnessed her field coming under growing pressure. Since President Trump's return to office, these developments have intensified. ‘Any programme labelled “woke” is under threat, including Gender Studies and Black Studies. Departments are being dismantled, funding is being reduced or programmes are being broken up.’
This was, in part, at the behest of the state, which targeted all public universities and colleges for restructuring. Indiana University had, by far, the largest number of eliminations and consolidations, says Wester. ‘Black Studies in particular has been steadily hollowed out as funding has continued to decline and has been consolidated into the new School of Interdisciplinary Studies.’
Academic freedom is under pressure worldwide. The Tulip Fund, an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO), enables international researchers to continue their work in the Netherlands. On 7 July, NWO announced that 34 researchers have been awarded a Tulip Fund fellowship, allowing them to continue their research in the Netherlands.
Growing censorship
According to Wester, staff and students at Indiana University are facing different forms of censorship. New state legislation encourages individuals to report teachers and institutions who they say are not inviting free speech under the state’s new definitions. ‘We were told we could no longer speak critically about the Trump administration. A former lecturer at Indiana University was dismissed after including the Make America Great Again movement and the disproportionate targeting of people of colour by police and other law enforcement agencies in a course outline on systemic white supremacy. We were also told we could no longer speak critically about the university leadership. Even the university’s student newspaper was shut down for a while.’
Intimidation
In recent years, Wester has experienced increasing racist abuse herself. Indiana University is in the conservative state of Indiana, near the state headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan. ‘There are still deep racial tensions here. An extreme right-wing student group is allowed to operate openly on campus, intimidating people.’
A new start in Leiden
Even universities in states that have traditionally been considered more liberal have become less free in recent years, Wester stresses. ‘Researchers are facing an increasing number of restrictions, and academic freedom is utterly under pressure across the United States.’ The political tensions and restrictions also took a toll on her family. This led Wester to resign from her position in 2025. She subsequently worked in temporary positions at the University of Sheffield and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Wester is grateful that, through the Tulip Fund, she will be able to conduct research at Leiden University for five years from 1 December this year. ‘This fellowship gives me the opportunity to continue my research and share it with a broad audience.’
Race as a concept
Wester's research examines how the concept of race was constructed through myths and misinformation. ‘I study the practices of Dutch and English slave traders operating from Fort Elmina, in present-day Ghana, who took part in the transatlantic slave trade. I investigate how they created the concept of race to justify the slave trade economically. Such as the nonsensical theories that Black people feel less pain and do not need as much rest as white people.’
Online game
Building on her research, Wester plans to develop a multi-layered online game and launch a website about the role of Fort Elmina and the transatlantic slave trade in constructing race. Using archival materials and historical sources, players will be able to immerse themselves in the events of the period and explore how the concept of race was developed. ‘The game will be freely available online. I want everyone to be able to access it.’
Rector's response
According to Rector Magnificus Sarah de Rijcke, Wester's research complements Leiden University’s existing strengths in the study of colonial history and inequality. ‘At Leiden University, we place great value on academic freedom. In some countries, that freedom is under threat, with researchers facing politically motivated restrictions. This is also the case for American scholar Maisha Wester. Through the NWO’s Tulip Fund, we are pleased to offer her the opportunity to continue her work on the historical roots of racial inequality. We look forward to welcoming her to Leiden. Her research is highly important to society and closely aligns with our research on the origins and enduring legacies of colonialism.’