Dr Oliver Antczak

I am a Venezuelan and Polish heritage researcher trained in archaeological, anthropological, historical, and ethnographic methods. I received a B.A. from Leiden University College (2016), where my dissertation focused on the Guaiquerí identity on Margarita Island, Venezuela. In 2018, I completed my MPhil at the University of Cambridge with the topic of the Caquetío identity on Bonaire. Over three internship periods since 2019, I worked for the Government of Bonaire at the heritage desk and at the Museo Boneiru. For my PhD (2024) at the University of Cambridge I comparatively researched the islands of Trinidad, Margarita and Bonaire to better understand how Indigenous identities interacted with heritage distinctly in each island based on different colonial trajectories.

I am currently co-leading a research project into the history and identity of the Venezuelan Caribbean called Gente de Mar and engaged in heritage projects throughout the Southern Caribbean.