Meesters, dr. M. (Marieke)

Marieke Meesters (1991) is a Postdoc at the Meertens Institute. Guided by Rebeca Ibáñez Martín and Clemens Driessen, and in cooperation with Maya Lane, Meesters problematizes the current narrow understanding of the nitrogen-crisis. By placing nitrogen in its historical, spatial and more-than-human relations, she aims to draw attention to the politics of nitrogen beyond the state-farmers debate, and to probe alternative ways to understand, relate and research nitrogen.

In her PhD research at Wageningen University & Research (cum laude), Meesters proposed the term “posthumanist Participation” to explore participation in natural resource management that does not take the liberal individuality of humans nor the “resourcesness” of natural resources for granted. Empirically, she explored cases of salt mining, mining remediation and dredging in and around the Dutch Wadden Sea. In her free time, Meesters passionately works on her personal living environment, generating a home for a myriad of creatures, ranging from composting thermophilic bacteria to human bookworms.

Key publications

• Meesters, M. Posthumanist Participation: Beyond Extractivism in the Dutch Wadden Sea Area [internal PhD]. Wageningen University & Research. 2023.