Sarah Van Beurden

Sarah Van Beurden is an Associate Professor of History and African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University, with affiliations in the Department of History of Art. She specializes in modern African and transnational history, focusing on colonial and postcolonial cultural politics, museum studies, and art restitution. Her work examines how cultural heritage has been used to legitimize colonial and postcolonial regimes in Central Africa.

Education: Ph.D. in History (University of Pennsylvania), M.A. in American Studies (Lehigh University), M.A. and B.A. in Modern History (KU Leuven, Belgium).

Key Roles: Chair of Restitution Belgium (2020–2024), Member of Belgian Parliamentary Commission on Colonial Past (2020–2021), Visiting Scholar at Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (2014–2018), and Fellow of the School for Advanced Research (2023–2024).

Research: Explores colonial collecting practices, museum ethics, and the politics of cultural heritage. Notable publications include Authentically African: Arts and the Transnational Politics of Congolese Culture (2015) and co-edited volumes on colonial collections and postcolonial planning.

Teaching: Courses cover African history, art, and colonialism, including AFAMAST 1121: African Civilizations and HIST 5650: Seminar in World History.

Awards: Finalist for the ACASA Arnold Rubin Prize, Weatherhead Fellowship, and multiple international fellowships.