Mijts, Eric

Position / Title

Senior Coordinator SISSTEM and Coordinator of UA Research Center

ORCID

Fields of Specialization

Multilingualism
Language policy and planning
Education for sustainable development
Inclusion/exclusion processes
Islandness

Last updated July 9, 2025

Biography

Eric Mijts is a senior researcher at the University of Aruba (UA) and the head of the University of Aruba Research Center (UARC). As a linguist he has been involved in studies in sociolinguistics and decolonial development in the former Dutch Caribbean islands Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Statia and St Martin over the past 25 years. He is (co-)author of numerous publications at the intersection of language, education, law, policy and development in the Caribbean and is the founder of the Caribbean Association for Dutch Studies (CARAN). Dr. Mijts has developed and taught a wide variety of courses in different programs of the UA and as a guest lecturer at institutes in the Caribbean, Americas and Europe. Eric Mijts has built a wide multidisciplinary network in and beyond the Caribbean region as the co-founder and developer of the Academic Foundation Year (AFY), co-founder of the EU funded Sustainable Islands Solutions through STEM project (SISSTEM), and as facilitator of international student research exchange programs.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 172

Meesterlijk Communiceren
(Boom Juridisch, 2014) Smilde, Margreet; Mijts, Eric; Witjens, Erik; Van Bogaert, Viola; Bollen, Carlos
De onwenselijkheid van een dubbele taaltoets voor naturalisandi in Aruba en de Nederlandse Antillen
(Stichting Migratierecht Nederland, 2009) Mijts, Eric; de Groot, René
In dit artikel geven Gerard-René de Groot en Eric Mijts een kritische analyse van een in december 2008 ingediend wetsontwerp ter wijziging van de Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap. Dit ontwerp zou onder meer tot gevolg hebben dat personen die in Aruba en de Nederlandse Antillen een aanvraag tot naturalisatie indienen aan een dubbele taaltoets moeten voldoen. De auteurs stellen dat voorstanders van deze wetswijziging uit gaan van een aantal onaanvaardbare aannames en een onrealistische inschatting maken van de gevolgen van dit beleid. Verder blijken er veel juridische en praktische argumenten te zijn die tegen het voorstel pleiten.
Mother tongue literacy in the Caribbean, Latin America and the South Pacific : community-based approaches that promote the survival of endangered languages
(Foundation for Endangered Languages, 2016) Mijts, Eric; Faraclas, Nicholas; Kester, Ellen-Petra; Ruiz, Jaime; Simo, Joel; Mijts, Eric; Ostler, Nicholas; Mohanty, Panchanan
Community Based Research in Language Policy and Planning. The Language of Instruction in Education in Sint Eustatius
(Springer International Publishing, 2019) Faraclas, Nicholas; Kester, Ellen-Petra; Mijts, Eric; Faraclas, Nicholas; Kester, Ellen-Petra; Mijts, Eric
This volume focuses on a case where community organizing, academic research and governmental responsibility were successfully mobilized and synchronized to bring about change in educational policy and practice. The focus of this book is the methodology implemented and the results obtained over the course of a year-long action research project on language and education in St. Eustatius, one of the islands of the Dutch Caribbean, commissioned by the educational authorities in both St. Eustatius and the European Netherlands. On the island, the language of instruction is Dutch, however, outside of the classroom most students only speak English and an English-lexifier Creole. The research project was set up to address the negative impact on school success of this disparity. It included a community-based sociolinguistic study that actively involved all of the stakeholders in the education system on the island. This was complemented by a multi-pronged set of research strategies, includinga language attitude and use survey, a narrative proficiency test, in depth interviews, and a review of the relevant literature. The resulting report and recommendations were accepted by the government, which is now in the process of changing the language of instruction.
Multilingualism and education in the Caribbean Netherlands. A community based approach to a sustainable language education policy. The case study of St. Eustatius.
(Boom Uitgevers Amsterdam, 2018) Kester, Ellen-Petra; Faraclas, Nicholas; Mijts, Eric; Agirdag, Orhan; Kambel, Ellen-Rose
The languages in Aruba's linguistic landscape : the representation of Aruba's four dominant languages in written form in the public spheref
(University of Curacao, 2016) Bamberger, Fardau; Mijts, Eric; Supheert, Roselinde; Faraclas, Nicholas; Severing, R.; Weijer, C.; Echteld, Elisabeth; Rutgers, Wim; Dupey, R.
This paper investigates the presence of English in Aruban society today, and more spe-cifically, gauges the position of the other dominant languages in a climate in which English, an unofficial language, seems to be on the rise. Recent economic developments and growing internationalisation appear to have had an impact on Aruba’s multilingual community. By means of linguistic landscaping, the written language in the public sphere in Aruba will be examined, as linguistic landscaping can help expose the under-lying status of languages and linguistic communities (Ben-Rafael et al., 2006). This study does this by examining photos of signs in three different areas of the island. Re-sults show that, on the whole, English is used most often in written language in the public sphere. Results also indicate that English appears to be the language that is pre-ferred in the tourist sector, whereas Papiamento is the language of the locals. Dutch and Spanish are used less. Of these two, Dutch is mainly used in top-down communication, whereas Spanish is almost exclusively used in bottom-up communication.
Internationale Neerlandistiek in Paramaribo
(neerlandistiek.nl, 2019) Koch, Jerzy; Mijts, Eric; T'Sjoen, Yves; van Dijk, Yra; van Kempen, Michiel
Wat is de positie van het Nederlands in de multilinguale samenleving?
(University of Curacao, 2017) Mijts, Eric; Waterman, Karlijn; Echteld, Elisabeth; Mijts, Eric; Rutgers, Wim; Severing, Ronald
Het Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal nieuwe stijl : de domeinexamens Educatief Startbekwaam en Educatief Professioneel
(University of Curacao, 2017) Mijts, Eric; Echteld, Elisabeth; Mijts, Eric; Rutgers, Wim; Severing, Ronald
Hoogtijdagen voor de internationale neerlandistiek in Paramaribo
(Algmeen-Nederlands Verbond, 2019) Koch, Jerzy; Mijts, Eric; T'Sjoen, Yves; van Dijk, Yra; van Kempen, Michiel
“We zijn altijd op weg op de eilanden”, stelde Wim Rutgers, de grand wise man van de Caribische literatuurkritiek: “Ik weet niet of we ooit aankomen.” Het had het motto kunnen zijn van het congres dat van 27 t/m 30 november 2019 werd gehouden in Paramaribo. Een geïnspireerde ontmoeting van vijftig specialisten uit tenminste twaalf landen op het gebied van de Caribische Nederlandstalige cultuur. Literatuur in het onderwijs, het gebruik van Nederlands in Surinaamse sociale media en de allegorie bij Boeli van Leeuwen. De onderwerpen waren zeer uiteenlopend. Van masterstudenten tot lerarenopleiders en hoogleraren: een diverse dwarsdoorsnede van experts kwam aan het woord.