In the last couple of months, our streets were empty and our cities quiet. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there has been a storm raging through our values and structures. It has given us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’ of the dysfunctional systems in our society. In this series, we showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on our present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the power of design and imagination. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left with in the aftermath? In times as these, it is the creatives, philosophers, scientists, makers, and designers who can visualise new scenarios, and develop new insights for our future.
About Aminata Cairo
Born and raised in the Netherlands to Surinamese parents, as a young adult Aminata Cairo left for the United States to pursue her college education. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology. As an international woman of colour, she experienced firsthand the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Nowadays she works as a consultant on Diversity and Inclusion, after working at different educational institutions for many years: she recently quit her job as the lector of Inclusive Education at The Hague University of Applied Sciences to pursue a new step in her career. In her applied anthropological work with students and community organisations, she has continually strived to promote inclusion at both the academic and the community level. Aminata received the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2013 for her efforts. In 2016 she received the Honorary Order of the Palm, a state decoration by the Government of Suriname for her contribution to culture.
About Saran Stewart
Saran Stewart, PhD is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Higher Education and Student Affairs, and Director of Global Education at the Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut in the US. She was formerly a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Dean at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Dr. Stewart’s research examines issues in comparative education, decolonizing methodologies, critical/ inclusive pedagogy, and access and equity issues in higher education. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow and the recipient of multiple awards. She is editor of Decolonizing Qualitative Methodologies for and by the Caribbean (Information Age Publishing) and co-editor of Race, Equity, and the Learning Environment: The Global Relevance of Critical and Inclusive Pedagogies in Higher Education (Stylus).
