Added to CartA revolutionary wind is currently blowing through academia in the Netherlands. Though the current tumult stems from the rejection of the (unpopular) restructuring of one specific faculty, the movement that is brewing is rooted in a radical rethinking of the administrative structure of Dutch universities, itself the result of decades of neoliberal colonization of the academic institutions.
In September 2014, following the announcement of a 13 million Euro deficit within the Faculty of Humanities, the Executive Board (CvB) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) imposed a significant budget cut which resulted in a complete restructuring of the faculty as a means of improving its performance. In a document entitled Profile 2016, the directors of UvA make several proposals, notably the outright cancellation of specific programs; the merger of all bachelor’s degrees into one general educational curriculum; the elimination of 150 teaching positions; and the suspension of all independent research funding. This restructuring of the faculty, triggered by mismanagement, is immediately denounced as demonstrating an astonishing ignorance of the conditions necessary to ensure a stimulating and nurturing environment for research and teaching 1.
Facing the first wave of resistance, the CvB organized working groups in collaboration with the academic community, without consideration for the critique stemming from these encounters. As of January 2015, the directors of the UvA announced that they would move forward with the proposed budget cuts, totally ignoring protests within the university community.
Bezet! Bezet! Bungehuis bezet! 2
On Friday, February 13, 2015, De Nieuwe Universiteit, a group composed of a dozen students and one teacher, begins occupying Bungehuis, one of the main buildings of the Faculty of Humanities. This target is largely symbolic: UvA recently sold the Bungehuis to real-estate developers with plans to transform the historic building into a luxury hotel. The Bungehuis serves as an example of UvA’s financial motivations, as they actively engage in real-estate speculations at the risk of considerable losses. Perhaps due to the university’s lack of transparency in the matter, this issue goes largely ignored by the community.
Therefore, De Nieuwe Universiteit sets the tone for the enormity of the crisis and the radicalization of the protest movement. In addition to demanding the cancellation of Profile 2016, the group also demands the resignation of the CvB and the establishment of a democratic process to elect the new leadership of UvA; the reconsideration of the proposed financial allocation model; referendums on all major restructuring; the establishment of stable contracts for employees; and the termination of all real-estate speculation.
The CvB however, refuses to engage in any form of negotiation and has sued the occupiers: the lawsuit threatens individual occupiers with fines of up to 100 000 euros per day of occupation. In response to this abuse of authority, more than a hundred professors from the Faculty of Humanities publicly opposed the criminalization of activists and have signed an open letter stating that they have already participated in or are actively taking part in this act of disobedience 3. On the seventh day of the occupation, the case is heard before the municipal court: the CvB wins the trial, but the fine is dropped to 1000 euros daily for the whole group of occupiers, as opposed to the individual.
Following the trial, donations flow in to cover legal expenses. On average, one hundred new supporters join the occupation each day, primarily to attend the conference program organized by the occupants despite the imminent eviction threat. The mayor of Amsterdam decides to mediate in order to force the CvB to start negotiations. Following two days of talks the UvA administration present their final offer: a “science festival” organized by the CvB in collaboration with the occupiers, at which the issues raised would be discussed without any guarantee of the application of these propositions. De Nieuwe Universiteit immediately rejects the proposal in a general meeting and reiterates their demands previously ignored by the CvB. After 11 days of occupation 46 occupants are put under arrest and expelled from Bungehuis.
The taking of Maagdenhuis
The day after the evictions, a large protest is organized in support of the demands of De Nieuwe Universiteit. The route ends at the gates of Maagdenhuis, the administra- tive headquarters of UvA, a symbol of student struggle since the 1960’s 4. In a burst of insurrectionary action, the protesters storm the building and begin a new, spontaneous occupation. Members of the CvB appear and attempt to calm the protesters but are chased from the building amidst shouts of: “Aftredin! Aftredin! Aftredin!” (“Resign! Resign! Resign!”). To everyone’s surprise, the mayor of Amsterdam arrives that evening and engages in a 2+ hour-long discussion with the 300 occupants. This assembly is broadcast on local television channels and online.
The weeks that follow are a significant turning point in the student movement in Amsterdam: the occupation of Maagdenhuis brings national and international attention to the situation. In Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, students are organizing under the banner of De Nieuwe Universiteit with the aim of opening dialogue around the managerial structures of their own universities. A petition in support circulates online and is signed by over 7000 sympathisers, including Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, Jacques Rancière, Jean-Luc Nancy and David Graeber. The movement has spread all the way to London, where four separate occupations have been declared in two weeks 5.
At press time, the Maagdenhuis, which remains occupied for more than a month, has literally become the marker of a major turning point in the history of the Dutch student movement. The idea behind De Nieuwe Universiteit – the creation of a new, democratic and decentralized university – is unfolding to the rhythm of daily conferences, general meetings, and cultural events that animate the public agora. Rethink UvA, a collective of nearly 700 professors and recent graduates, proposes the institution of an alternative governance system as a means of discharging the current authority and replacing the hierarchic structure in place at UvA with a model based on the popular general assembly. If this project were to become reality, it would signify not only a first step towards the decline of the neoliberal university as denounced by the university community, but it will inspire further possibilities, for all communities, to shed the traditional capitalistic power models in favour of ones that promote self-determination and are based on the principles of direct democracy.
Though it was difficult to imagine a few weeks ago, this radical turn of events places the Dutch universities on the front line of the international student movement. Alongside Québécois, Chilean, Spanish, Macedonian, Burmese and British peers, they are participating in the rebuilding of the academic sphere as an autonomous space for experimentation and in the fight against the impoverishment of our consciousness.
- A group of students immediately set up the platform Humanity Rally to mobilize the university community and to put pressure on the administration.→
- “Occupy! Occupy! Occupy Bungehuis!”→
- The open letter, signed by 290 academics as of March 13 th 2015, is available on-line→
- The Maagdenhuis is known for the legendary student occupation of 1969. The occupation lasted four days.→
- The following institutions are currently occupied: London School of Economic and Political Science, University of Arts London, King’s College London et Goldsmiths University of London.→