Marieke Bloembergen

Marieke Bloembergen is a Professor of Heritage and Postcolonial Studies in Indonesian History at Leiden University’s Institute for History and the KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. Her research focuses on heritage dynamics, postcolonial critiques, and transnational intellectual networks in Southeast Asia. She actively supervises PhD candidates including Ajeng Arainikasih and Kerstin Winking. Recent work examines colonial-era knowledge systems, environmental activism, and the Greater India concept’s impact on Indonesian heritage. Her affiliations include dual roles at the Institute for History and KITLV, where she conducts fieldwork and academic leadership.

Research interests span colonial and global history, with a specialization in Indonesia’s cultural and environmental histories. Her 2023 publications address topics like the Friends of Asian Art movement’s colonial ties and transnational scholarly networks shaping 20th-century Indology. These studies highlight intersections of epistemic violence, environmental empathy, and decolonial frameworks.

Academic contributions emphasize critical heritage studies and postcolonial methodologies, though no formal awards are listed. She maintains an active research group at KITLV, focusing on Southeast Asia’s entangled histories.