Reading Images: Interpreting and Evaluating Visual Material workshop

Develop the skills to engage with images as historical and cultural sources in a responsible, ethical, and critically informed manner.
About this Event

Reading Images: Interpreting and Evaluating Visual Material postgraduate workshop

Images are often said to be worth a thousand words, yet they are rarely subjected to the same level of critical scrutiny as written sources. This interactive workshop introduces participants to the principles of critical visual analysis, equipping them with practical tools to interpret, contextualize, and evaluate visual material. Through a series of hands-on exercises and case studies, participants will develop the skills to engage with images in a responsible, ethical, and critically informed manner, recognizing both their potential and their limitations as historical and cultural sources.

Joëlla van Donkersgoed specialises in cultural heritage, polyvocality, and participatory approaches to history and heritage. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies from Rutgers University (2020) and Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Public Archaeology and Archaeological Heritage Management from Leiden University (2012/2014). Her research and public engagement focus on centring local communities and creating spaces where diverse voices can participate in the production and interpretation of history. She is the founder of the Historesch Gesinn platform, which promotes accessible and participatory historical research in Luxembourg.

Her latest book, Navigating Polyvocality in a Postcolonial Cultural Landscape: The Banda Islands (Routledge, 2026), explores polyvocal approaches to cultural heritage in postcolonial contexts