Wieke Metzlar wins Volkskrant-IISG History Thesis Award

Former Radboud student Wieke Metzlar has won the Volkskrant-IISG History Thesis Award. In her Master’s thesis, she researched causes for excessive mortality rates in girls compared to boys in 19th-century Maastricht. Strikingly, the conclusion was that girls were more at risk than boys. Her research shows that girls often resided indoors, exposing them to worse hygienic conditions and illness due to having to care for sick family members, leading to an elevated risk of mortality.

The judges praised Wieke’s thesis for its careful approach and its societal relevance. Her work shows how historical research can help to better understand gender-related health disparities. The Volkskrant-IISG Thesis Award is annually awarded to the best history-related Master’s thesis in the Netherlands. Metzlar’s achievement shows how important historical research is to understanding social issues.

Metzlar (1998) is currently a PhD student at the Department of History, Art History and Classics at uu77. Her PhD research focuses on patterns and determinants of excess mortality among girls in the Netherlands between 1864 and 1930. She previously obtained her Bachelor’s in History and her Research Master’s in Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies cum laude. During her studies, she did research internships in Leuven and Bologna. Next to her PhD research, she works at Museum Kinderdorp Neerbosch as an archivist.

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Wieke Metzlar wins Volkskrant-IISG History Thesis Award

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