Project-leader Kim Knibbe is Associate Professor sociology and anthropology of religion at Groningen University. With Rachel Spronk she will be responsible for synthesizing the research findings from the various sub projects. Her previous research focused on Catholicism and spirituality in the Netherlands and on Nigerian Pentecostalism in Europe and the Netherlands. She has also published a series of theoretical and methodological reflections on studying religion. You can find her publications on https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kim_Knibbe

Rachel Spronk is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. She works at the intersection of three scholarly fields – anthropology, gender and sexuality studies, and African studies. She is studying the development of the (idea of the ) middle classes in Kenya and Ghana and how those social transformation relate to changes in gender, sexuality and self-perceptions. In her work she combines the ethnographic study of practices and self-perceptions with the task of rethinking our theoretical repertoires.

Brenda Bartelink is a researcher and lecturer in the Anthropology and Academic Study of Religion. She has over ten years of experience in research and civil society projects focussed on religion, secularism, health, well-being, sexuality and gender in The Netherlands and in Eastern and Southern Africa. As a senior researcher she is focussed on how African-Dutch churches in the Randstad and in particular The Hague, understand and approach sexual well-being. She is also responsible for the communication of the research with religious leaders, civil society, policy and politics.

Jelle Wiering is a Dutch cultural anthropologist whose main interest lies in the field of religious studies. Currently, he is a PhD candidate at the faculty of religious studies at the University of Groningen. His PhD research explores the intersection of religion, secularism, and sexuality in the Netherlands, and is part of the larger project “Sexuality, Religion and Secularism”. Previously, he studied Western Buddhists, and Dutch pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela.

Amisah Bakuri  is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam. Previously, she studied Modern History and International Relations at the University of Groningen. She has a Bachelor degree in History with Political Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Using ethnography, her PhD  research deals with ways in which individuals of African background strive in the domains of sexuality and relationships in the Netherlands (an environment that, even as it offers  opportunities, some individuals perceive that it also stereotypes and others them.)

Gabriela Bustamante is an independent designer with Studio ‘Design that matters’ and a design teacher at the The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Her work focuses on creating design opportunities that contribute to society through craftsmanship and the use of traditional design techniques from various cultural contexts. Design that Matters has carried out projects with Migration Lab in The Hague focused on the meeting and interacting of refugees, migrants and local populations, and with the City of Amsterdam on ‘Desycling’ raising awareness about sustainability through designing products out of waste.

The project ‘To Kiss or not To Kiss’ is explicitly focused on diversity, participation and inclusion in Dutch society. The ‘typical Dutch’ Delft Blue figurines are shaped and styled in the style of a particular cultural community in the Netherlands.  The figurines visualize cultural diversity in the Netherlands, and inspire conversations on how this is embodied. The research time gratefully acknowledge the work of Gabriela and the photographer, allowing us to use the pictures of the figurines as images on this project website. Further partnership between Gabriela and the research team is being developed.

Mara Foundation is a faith based organization for societal activation and participation in the cities of Rotterdam and The Hague.

Together with volunteers, Mara Foundation assists people in vulnerable positions, based on the conviction that every person is of value in this society and that solidarity between people is of great importance. Key words are ‘trusting’, ‘connecting’ and ‘longing’: We work from the idea that trust is the basis in people’s lives, that people need valuable connections with each other; and that we share the desire for a good future for everyone. The starting point for our projects is ‘solidarity’: we are always looking for supportive and significant relationships. We have a special eye for that what keeps people going and what inspires people.

HUB – faith in The Hague

HUB is a network organization of international and migrant churches. A place where supply and demand come together and where churches can strengthen each other. With this HUB, Mara – together with Stek – support international churches in their societal commitment to the people of The Hague. The HUB is also a connecting link to professional societal and medical organizations and the municipality of The Hague.

Want to know more?

Shirleni Blanken;  E: shirleni@maraprojecten.nl, M: 06-39831945

Samuel Ekpo;  E: samuel@maraprojecten.nl, M:06-85130025

Heleen Joziasse;  E: heleen@maraprojecten.nl, M: 06-28306560

Also check our website www.maraprojecten.nl/projects/hub and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/stichtingmara