Marjolein Matthys

MSc - Social Anthropologist

Marjolein Matthys is a social anthropologist with a PhD in Social Health Sciences, specializing in end-of-life issues and qualitative research methodology. Her Master’s research at the University of Amsterdam, which explored death confrontations as existential-dynamic conflicts among non-religious adults in the Netherlands, was awarded the Anthropology Department's Annual Thesis Competition Award. In 2019, she joined the End-of-Life Care Research Group (VUB & UGhent) as a doctoral researcher within the CAPACITY consortium, focusing on public perceptions of palliative care and the development of a public awareness campaign strategy in Flanders. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher, conducting ethnographic research into the synergies, complexities, and tensions between palliative care and assisted dying in Flemish end-of-life care practices. In addition to her research, Marjolein teaches various courses in qualitative research. Her main research interests include narrative and discourse theory, the anthropology of ethics, existential anthropology, and all aspects of interdisciplinary research that contribute to our understanding of the sociohistorical & cultural dynamics surrounding the end of life.