Biography:

Manon Sanches, an orthopedagogue (1965), obtained her PhD in 1997 at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), Faculty of Social Sciences. Her dissertation was entitled The Attitudes of Adolescents of Moroccan, Surinamese, and Turkish Descent Toward Social Boundaries.  From 2013-2023 she has been affiliated with the Anton de Kom University of Suriname as programme coordinator for the Psychology degree programme. Her research focuses on youth development, particularly child protection and violence against children. In February 2022, she became full-professor and accepted the Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychology and Orthopedagogy at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname.

In 2023, she contributed to the editorial team of NiNsee’s symposium Reclaiming the Narrative, and in 2024 she delivered a lecture during the closing symposium of NiNsee’s Slavery Memorial Year. She is currently, together with two fellow scholars, responsible for establishing the Knowledge and Research Agenda: Slavery and Its Afterlives in a Multivocal Initiative; New Insights and Approaches in Education and Research on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Its Contemporary Resonances in Suriname.

Since July 2024, she has served as Chair of the Committee on Promotions and Honorary Doctorates at the Anton de Kom University. From 2015 to 2021, she was President of the Surinamese Association of Psychologists and Orthopedagogues. From 2013 to 2026, she served as Vice Chair of STICRIS, a shelter for women and their children fleeing violence.

Publications 

Sanches, M. R., Graafsma, T. M., & Leckie, G. (2021). Psychology in Suriname. In J. R. Grant & N. A. Ramkumar (Eds.), Psychology in Oceania and the Caribbean (pp. 271–283). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Pelgrim, S., Oenema-Mostert, C. E., Sanches, M. R., & Minnaert, A. M. G. Validation of a Developmental Skills Checklist for Young Surinamese Children (0–5 years). Pedagogische Studiën, 137.

Sanches, M. R., van der Rijst, R. M., Isabella, S. A., Day, I. N. Z., & Visser-Wijnveen, G. J. (2023). Education and Upbringing in Suriname and the Caribbean Islands. Pedagogische Studiën, 137, 137–146. https://doi.org/10.59302/ps.v100i2.12220

Eugene, C., Graafsma, T., & Sanches, M. R. (2023). Child Maltreatment and Children’s Human Capabilities in Aruba. Caribbean Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.37234/CJP.2022.1502.A00 (doi.org in Bing)

Research:

• Onderzoek naar de doorwerking van Slavernij in de Surinaamse gemeenschap, met de focus op opvoeding, identiteitsontwikkeling en relatievorming.
• ‘Schaarste’ onderzoek (Psychology, AdeKUS): The impact of poverty on psychological wellbeing.

Contact details:

manon.sanches@uvs.edu
Tel: +597 8608740
https://www.linkedin.com/in/manon-sanches-52b6a815/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BlUNbnwSCQ5SU9l8xLcPKlA%3D%3D