About Karin

What drives me is an inexhaustable hunger for knowledge and an ambition to apply this knowledge to work towards a sustainable and just world. I have an MSc in biology from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands (1999) and a PhD in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US (2012). My dissertation research focused on moral negotiations in conservation and development around a national park in Uganda, a site with an intense history of violent and manipulative neocolonial governance. I returned to the Netherlands in 2013, made a switch to entrepreneurship, and created a business called Kusala, producing sustainable artisinal soaps using natural and circular ingredients, for the last five years from the circular economy hub BlueCity Rotterdam. However, I have come to the conclusion that small social entrepreneurship is next to impossible in our harsh capitalist landscape. So, in the fall of 2023, I have decided to end Kusala soap production and to commit to working towards system change. Throughout 2024, I will dedicate myself to independent research projects and activism, focusing on radical environmental & climate justice. I am also available for freelance assignments as biologist/ anthropologist/ former circular entrepreneur for research, teaching, or other activities. Or possibly for job openings that are a great match my profile. Send me a note if you have questions or ideas for collaboration.