Meet Rhea's New Coordinator: dr. Paulien Broens
For the readers of our newsletter, RHEA interviewed Dr. Paulien Broens, who recently joined in December as full-time Research Coordinator at RHEA. We discuss her research background, current interests, and her role at RHEA.
Can you tell us a bit more about your academic background?
I completed a Master’s degree in African Studies at Ghent University, followed by a Research Master’s in Social Anthropology at SOAS, University of London. My doctoral research was conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory and at KU Leuven, and I defended my PhD in Law in December of 2024, titled “The Only ‘Man’ Among Them Was the Queen”: Female Legal Authorities and Colonialism in Asante, 1880–1940.
My research examined how British colonial rule reshaped indigenous legal and political systems in Asante, an ethnic group located across several present-day West African countries. These colonial reforms systematically excluded indigenous women from positions of authority and replaced existing legal systems with male-dominated “Native Authorities”, which were later presented as ‘customary’. As a result, women’s roles in lawmaking, governance, and dispute resolution were not only diminished in practice and were largely omitted from historical accounts, by both colonial administrators and later scholars. By examining the gendered implications of these colonial interventions and combining archival research with oral histories, my doctoral project reconstructs a more inclusive history of Asante law, highlighting how both women and men navigated and negotiated colonial rule.
What are your main research interests today?
I am increasingly interested in research that speaks more directly to the present. I see a growing need for methodologies that allow historical insights to translate into tangible societal impact. Many of the gendered patterns identified in colonial legal histories continue to shape institutions and power relations today, through what is defined as coloniality, or the persistence of colonial logics long after formal colonial rule has ended. My current research interests therefore focus on gender and coloniality. I am developing applied methodologies that connect insights from legal history to present-day policy debates and help co-create indigenous alternatives to lingering colonial logics in postcolonial institutions and governance structures.
What attracted you to RHEA, and can you give us some insights into your function?
I felt a strong desire after my PhD to work in a research environment that is more directly engaged with societal questions and impact. RHEA had long been on my radar as a leading research centre in Belgium, known for its foundational work on gender, diversity, and intersectionality. Its interdisciplinary focus and strong commitment to socially engaged research closely align with my own personal and academic values. It has been an honour and a pleasure to join RHEA!
As Research Coordinator, I support the day-to-day functioning of RHEA. My role includes initiating, guiding, and supporting research proposals, as well as overseeing the centre’s internal and external communication and the organisation of events. Overall, I see my role as facilitating collaboration within the centre, strengthening RHEA’s research profile, and helping translate it into broader academic and societal impact.
What is your favourite book in gender, diversity and intersectionality?
Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí’s "The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses" is a must-read. It inspired my bachelor’s dissertation and has shaped my academic path ever since.