Ilja Simons

Ilja Simons is a Lecturer and researcher in the Department of Leisure and Events at Breda University of Applied Sciences. She holds a PhD from Tilburg University (thesis: The role of events in hybrid communities: an interaction ritual approach) and a Master’s in Sociology from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her work focuses on storytelling, interaction rituals, and how narratives shape identities, communities, and places in tourism and leisure contexts.

Key research areas include ethnography, netnography, cultural events, and heritage studies, with a particular interest in performance and discourse analysis. She has conducted fieldwork at heritage sites like Barbados’ World Heritage Sites and explored event-based phenomena such as cosplay and Redhead Days festivals. Her recent work addresses global challenges in heritage management and narrative construction.

Simons has contributed to 29 research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles and conference papers. She actively participates in interdisciplinary projects like the Interreg-funded Brabant Kust de Kempen initiative and serves on the ATLAS Advisory Board and its Annual Conference organizing committee. Her teaching integrates practical insights from fieldwork and collaborative research.