About the research

NIOD’s Research Agenda, ‘Facing Violence’, addresses the far-reaching impact of war and mass violence on societies in the 20th and 21st centuries. It brings together the study of the dynamics between communities and institutions in war and coping with the legacies and memories and the reflection on the meaning of such experiences. The Research Department’s strength lies in its teamwork, based on the NIOD research pillars which are supported by the specialised orientation of the individual researchers, who work together to develop the Research Agenda.

The scholarly advisory committee reviews NIOD’s research. Its members are appointed by the KNAW and, since September 2023, have consisted of:

• ​Prof. dr. Nico Schrijver (Leiden University), chair

• ​Prof. dr. Berber Bevernage (University of Ghent), member

• ​Prof. dr. Amade M’Charek (University of Amsterdam), member

• ​Prof. dr. Christina Morina (Bielefeld University), member

• ​Prof. dr. Henk te Velde (Leiden University), member

• ​Jeftha Pattikawa (Nationaal Archief), member

The Netherlands and Afghanistan 2001-2021' is an independent, historical-scientific analysis of Dutch military engagement, diplomatic activities and non-governmental involvement in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. The research programme is jointly conducted by the Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH) and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, commissioned by the Dutch government.

‘The Netherlands and Afghanistan 2001-2021' is the first Dutch overarching, historical-scientific study done on this theme. The role of the Netherlands in the context of an international war situation is studied: why the Netherlands was active in Afghanistan, how political and military decisions were made, why certain choices were or were not made, how they were legitimised and their impact and consequences for Afghanistan and in the Netherlands.

The research aims to paint an insightful picture of this period. The course of events in general and the effects of the Dutch presence in Afghanistan in particular are analysed. An important part of the study concerns the Dutch military missions on the ground. The researchers study the political-international context and do so from Afghan, international and Dutch perspectives. For more information, visit nederlandafghanistan.org.

Genocide is the complex process of the systematic persecution and destruction of a group of people by a state or armed group. It is estimated that in the 20th century, some 40 to 60 million defenceless people fell victim to deliberate extermination, including six million Jews in the Holocaust. The start of the 21st century was not much better, with mass murder in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and elsewhere.

The Holocaust and Genocide Studies core team conducts scholarly research into modern genocides. It provides academic education (BA, MA, Ph.D and Postdoc level) on modern genocides and contributes to the internationalisation of research into the Holocaust and modern genocides by establishing and expanding networks and partnerships at home and abroad. Every year in September, the core team hosts the NIOD Annual Lecture for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, where prominent scholars present the state of their research to a broad audience. The core team promotes social debate in the Netherlands on the Holocaust and other modern genocides, among other things by organising public lectures and film symposiums.

The NIOD Radical Research and Digital Documents (R2-D2) team consists of researchers, archive professionals, and information specialists. Together, we work at the intersection of historiography, historical archives and collections, and the digital domain.

By combining knowledge, experience, and expertise, the team establishes stronger links between NIOD's ‘traditional’ documentation and research areas and developments in Digital History, Computational Archival Studies, and archive digitization. For example, computer models for handwriting recognition are used to digitize war letters, digital research environments are developed, and we publish on the significance of these developments. 

Ethics, transparency, and responsible use of software and hardware are important in this regard. The team continuously reflects on the social, epistemological, legal, and moral implications of digital methods and technologies and works on responsible and meaningful ways to use them in research and archival creation and management.