Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice

Zawdie Sandvliet is a PhD candidate at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. His research focuses on slavery, colonialism, capitalism and racism in 17th and 18th century Suriname. He specifically focuses on issues around land in early modern Suriname, for example plots and provision grounds in the system of plantation slavery.

Zawdie studied African American Studies on a Fulbright Scholarship at Boston University after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Amsterdam. After his return to the Netherlands, he took the initiative to start a course on Afro-Dutch studies at the University of Amsterdam, a decolonial and interdisciplinary course that focuses on the history and present-day realities of Black people in the Netherlands. He also taught Social Studies at high schools in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and was a teacher trainer for future Social Studies teachers.

Currently, he is a John Carter Brown Library Fellow (supported by a Fulbright Research Scholar grant) and in this capacity he researches 17th and 18th century Surinamese maps and travel journals.