Faces of Clingendael: Vera Kranenburg
Who are our hard-working researchers and trainers and what drives them? You might have seen them in the media, explaining geopolitical topics or putting them on the agenda. We offer you a peek behind the scenes in our series Faces of Clingendael. Today with Research Fellow Vera Kranenburg.
'It is important to go to the region of your interest to feel the atmosphere and talk to people there.'
What is your role?
There are two parts to my job. As a Research Fellow I investigate everything China-related. On the other hand, I’m the secretary of China Knowledge Network (CKN), for which I work together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Leiden Asia Centre. We conduct research and organise events.
What motivates you to do this job?
I already had an interest in politics when I was quite young. Later, this developed into an interest in world politics, so I decided to focus on International Relation courses. When I studied in Singapore and took all kinds of courses about Asia, I knew that I wanted to continue in this field. The geopolitics in Asia and specifically China really interested me. I think that China as a superpower tells the most exciting story in this region. I was an intern at another thinktank and at Clingendael, and I loved the work. I guess that motivated me because I am still doing it every day.
Is it necessary to speak the Chinese language?
It depends on the work you are doing, but it certainly can be very useful. I was in Taiwan for half a year to study Mandarin fulltime. Although there is still room for improvement, this skill is quite useful for certain reports or to read Chinese sources. At the same time, I think it is just as important to travel to the region of your expertise to feel the atmosphere and talk to people. Unfortunately, it becomes harder for researchers to travel to China.
Do you have interests outside of work?
A lot! What I enjoy tremendously, like most of my colleagues, is travelling. Especially visiting my friends in various countries. In the weekends I often go for a walk on the beach. It is only a 10-minute bike-ride from where I live, so that is perfect! Besides that, I love to go to museums and read books. I am currently reading ‘Other Rivers’ by Peter Hessler. He compares his time in contemporary China during the years of Covid-19 with China in the 1990s. Super interesting.
What advice would you give to people aspiring to work in your field?
From my personal experience I would say that it is useful to find a region or theme in which you are naturally interested. Besides broader knowledge of international relations, specialisation is quite inevitable. Also, multiple internships during your studies help a lot. I’ve done internships during a summer, a gap year and while writing my thesis. It is useful in finding out what you like, or maybe don’t like, which is just as important.