The principal aims of this book are to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the urban systems of the Iberian Peninsula during the High Empire and to explain why these systems looked the... Show moreThe principal aims of this book are to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the urban systems of the Iberian Peninsula during the High Empire and to explain why these systems looked the way they did. While some chapters focus on settlements that were cities or towns from a juridical point of view, the implications of using a purely functional definition of towns are also explored. Key themes include continuities and discontinuities between pre-Roman and Roman settlement patterns, the geographical distribution of cities belonging to various size brackets, economic relationships between self-governing cities and their territories, and the role of cities as nodes in road systems and maritime networks. In addition, it is argued that a considerable number of self-governing communities in Roman Spain and Portugal were polycentric rather based on a single urban centre. Show less
This dissertation deals with the development of seventeenth-century overseas business through the perspective of individuals. The way individuals acted in the overseas business, especially in... Show moreThis dissertation deals with the development of seventeenth-century overseas business through the perspective of individuals. The way individuals acted in the overseas business, especially in connection to the Nordic trading companies, allows for an in-depth study of how they projected, established, coordinated and developed business through entrepreneurial mechanisms. The dissertation closely follows the careers of two businessmen and simultaneously studies their careers through a conceptual framework of overseas entrepreneurship in two oceanic spaces. Show less
This thesis examines gender differences in recorded criminality in early modern Frankfurt and the way that these differences were shaped by the local context. For a long time it was considered that... Show moreThis thesis examines gender differences in recorded criminality in early modern Frankfurt and the way that these differences were shaped by the local context. For a long time it was considered that the criminality of women is a marginal phenomenon and that this was invariable over time and place. Historical studies, however, have demonstrated that women played a much more prominent role in recorded crime in the early modern period, and could even make up half of all defendants in specific locations. At the same time, there were also large regional differences. Until now, historians focused only little on the differences, and instead looked for general explanations for female deviance in this period. This thesis studies the structural impact of the local context on women’s offending and their prosecution. It shows that the pattern in Frankfurt was both similar and different to that of other European cities. Strong informal control within the household, which is normally associated with close-knit communities in the countryside, played an important role in the urban community of Frankfurt and influenced prosecution patterns. Owing to the reliance on household control, cities like Frankfurt am Main knew a distinct type of urban female offender. Show less
This study is about the reconstruction of the urban geography of the Balkan and the Danube provinces at the time of the Severan dynasty (AD 193-235). Four basic parameters were in the focus of... Show moreThis study is about the reconstruction of the urban geography of the Balkan and the Danube provinces at the time of the Severan dynasty (AD 193-235). Four basic parameters were in the focus of research: the origin and socio-economic character of the settlements, their size, micro-location and the size of their administrative territories. The principal goal of this exercise was to map the variable developments of the urban network, both between and within the sub-regions that constitute this part of the Roman Empire. This line of inquiry helped to bridge the gap between the regional and the general. In the process of explaining the apparent gaps in the urban map of the study-region or the differential growth of the individual towns and settlements, we were inevitably faced with the question of the role of the town in Roman provincial society and economy or the basic prerequisites for the emergence and prosperity of towns. This study also brought to light the intimate connection between towns and imperialism. Show less
Through the lens of individual believers, and on the basis of their own literary and visual output, this thesis investigates how post-Reformation Catholics in the Dutch Republic understood... Show moreThrough the lens of individual believers, and on the basis of their own literary and visual output, this thesis investigates how post-Reformation Catholics in the Dutch Republic understood themselves. Offering for the first time a systematic and long term approach of the Catholic experience in the Dutch Republic, this thesis participates in an international scholarly debate about early modern Catholicism in Protestant states. In order to analyze how individual Catholics manifested themselves as mediators of Catholic identity and culture, this study introduces two theoretical frameworks, subculture and habitus; it is further organized around windows that represent new historical methods. This thesis brings to light, among many other things, that Dutch Catholics followed very different paths to adapt to their new social reality, revealing the complex nature of the Catholic subculture. This thesis also illustrates that Catholics purposely cultivated those parts of their habitus that were detested and ridiculed by the Calvinists, but to which the Calvinists, at the same time, remained receptive. By drawing a comparison with the Generality Lands, the transition from sub- to counterculture is explored. The analysis of the Catholic Schism of 1723 sheds further light on the dynamics within the Catholic subculture. Show less
This dissertation zooms in on the successful military career of the sixteenth-century Chinese general Qi Jiguang and the question how he was able to bridge the divide between the worlds of the... Show moreThis dissertation zooms in on the successful military career of the sixteenth-century Chinese general Qi Jiguang and the question how he was able to bridge the divide between the worlds of the civil bureaucrat, the Neo-Confucian scholar, and that of the professional military. These worlds had grown apart in the course of the Ming (1368-1644) dynasty in socio-cultural terms. Moreover, as the original military institutions of the empire broke down during the fifteenth century, the civil bureaucracy assumed a greater role in military affairs, further marginalizing the role of military officers. Nevertheless, Qi Jiguang managed to take advantage of this state of affairs by subscribing to a new activist interpretation of Neo-Confucianism, foremostly pioneered by philosopher and statesman Wang Yangming (1472-1529). This redefined Neo-Confucianism facilitated a fusion of civil and military lifestyles and was embraced by activist-minded civil bureaucrats, scholars, and military men in the sixteenth century. By cultivating ties within this movement, Qi Jiguang built a personal network within the empire’s civil bureaucracy and also gained access to circulating military knowledge. Moreover, Qi Jiguang also adapted Wang Yangming’s philosophy to his military methods and used its precepts to cultivate the courage and moral fiber of his officers and soldiers. Show less
This monograph investigates the development of urbanism in the North-Western Roman provinces (i.e. nowadays France, Britain, Belgium, and Netherlands), the main foci being on the nature,... Show moreThis monograph investigates the development of urbanism in the North-Western Roman provinces (i.e. nowadays France, Britain, Belgium, and Netherlands), the main foci being on the nature, characteristics, and shapes that settlement systems took during the first 250 years of the imperial period. The scope of the research undertaken in this book extends beyond the study of the “official” Roman cities (i.e. centres which enjoyed some level of self-governance and which are known from ancient literary and epigraphic sources), comprising all settlements which have yielded evidence of monumental architecture and/or of extensive non-agricultural activities. Show less
The current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the... Show moreThe current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the military dictatorship (1973-1990). The programme of President Michelle Bachelet’s government (2014-2018) put the aims of free and inclusive education, the end of profiting from educational establishments and the strengthening of state education at the centre of its agenda. For many –politicians, academics and students– the idea was to bring back the ‘Teaching State’ that inspired the Republic’s educational policies up to the military coup. Much has been written in the last few years about the problems of Chilean higher education from a market point of view; the influence of neoliberal ideology on educational segregation and even the interference of economic interests and aiming to profit from the governance and management of higher education institutions. However, a history of Chilean higher education from an institutional point of view –showing the breakdown and continuity of the system’s regulations and state policy and including the public and private sector, through different constitutional cycles up to the present day– has not been written. This thesis aims to fill that gap. Show less
My thesis analyzes the Mexican Drug Violence. This conflict follows partially the model of a so-called ‘new war’, post-modern conflicts in which armed groups merge with organized crime and... Show moreMy thesis analyzes the Mexican Drug Violence. This conflict follows partially the model of a so-called ‘new war’, post-modern conflicts in which armed groups merge with organized crime and deliberately create a situation of chaos and lawlessness. Actually, it has actually moved beyond that into a form of hybrid warfare: multidimensional, elusive, unpredictable and fought on many fronts with different weapons and intensities. The war being waged by radical Islam is another example of hybrid warfare. From an economic perspective, the cartels are extreme examples of predatory capitalist corporations that thrive in a neoliberal, globalized economy. Just as legal business, cartels face issues such as human resources, publicity and branding, corporate social responsibility, diversification and innovation. From an anthropological point of view, I investigate the motivations of the actors who engage in criminal activities and extreme cruelty. There are remarkable similar mechanism how people are being taught to kill and I compare Mexican professional assassins with West-African child soldiers and Western Jihadists. Extreme acts of violence beyond the instrumental are often called ‘senseless’. However, this closes the door for investigation. There is a logic and meaning behind ‘inhumane’ violence that is in fact part of the repertoire of human behavior. Show less
In 2018 it is 400 years since the first official English Africa company was launched. Yet we know very little about the role of the early trade in the greater history of overseas trade. This... Show moreIn 2018 it is 400 years since the first official English Africa company was launched. Yet we know very little about the role of the early trade in the greater history of overseas trade. This thesis presents and considers the development of England's Africa trade with its traders and companies through the 17th century, and argues for a reevaluation of important moments in the history of overseas trade when seen from the perspective of the Africa traders. By placing a consecutive line of company leaders and directors at the centre of focus - considering their perspective, motivations, experience and long-term aims, this thesis aims to add to our understanding of developments such as the slave trade and its format; the relationship between merchants and the English state; England's involvement with the Spanish Asiento, the relationship between the metropolitan mercantile community and the Atlantic planter society. As an extension it aims to show the malleability of the early modern overseas company, turning on its head the idea of the all-powerful company structure suppressing private enterprise, showing instead that company involvement was not always motivated by monetary profit nor necessarily seen as more than a tool to boost widespread private portfolios. Show less
This dissertation explores the causation of mass conversions to Islam in Bolaang-Mongondow and to Protestant Christianity in Sangir-Talaud and Minahasa (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) in the eighteenth... Show moreThis dissertation explores the causation of mass conversions to Islam in Bolaang-Mongondow and to Protestant Christianity in Sangir-Talaud and Minahasa (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It demonstrates that despite deviations in particularities, the mass conversions to world religions in these regions broadly shared similar causations. It places emphasis on particular periods in the nineteenth-century when the Dutch colonial state centralized political authority and imposed census-based monetary taxation with the aim of commercializing the economy. It points to these reforms as the immediate triggers that enabled both Dutch apical rulers and especially indigenous apical rulers to weaken the authority of subaltern chiefs. It illustrates that these reforms were weaved into the religious conversion agenda of rulers as a strategy to further consolidate authority by depriving the subaltern chiefs of their functionally undifferentiated and socially embedded authority. As such, this dissertation shows that the apical rulers could expand their political and economic reach while paving the way for their claimed subjects to access prestigious religious identities, which had hitherto been exclusive to the ruling elite. Show less
To date, the Dutch East and West India companies’ involvement in litigation in the Dutch Republic has been ignored. Kate Ekama’s research highlights this side of company activity by delving into... Show moreTo date, the Dutch East and West India companies’ involvement in litigation in the Dutch Republic has been ignored. Kate Ekama’s research highlights this side of company activity by delving into company disputes in the High Court of Holland, Zeeland and West-Friesland (Hoge Raad). The VOC and WIC were involved in over 100 cases in the High Court. These cases were about company charters and contracts, private trade-related matters, wages, shares and property rights. This study shows that a wide range of litigants pursued cases against the companies, encompassing individual and corporate litigants, subjects of the States General and foreigners, men and women. The companies were not above the law; rather, both the VOC and the WIC were subject to the decisions of the High Court. Following recent developments in historiography, the cases are approached from the point of view of conflict management. This wider perspective brings into view the States General, who played an important role in connecting jurisdictions and managing company conflicts before, during and after litigation. Kate Ekama’s study fills a lacuna in the historiography of the Dutch East and West India Companies, and lays the foundation for future research on early modern company conflict management. Show less
This dissertation examines the practice of privately sponsored communal dining in the western half of the Roman Empire in the first three centuries AD. Combining quantitative and qualitative... Show moreThis dissertation examines the practice of privately sponsored communal dining in the western half of the Roman Empire in the first three centuries AD. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, it first investigates the benefactors who donated public dinners and the various groups of beneficiaries who were the recipients of their benefactions. The principal aim is to place the privately funded food benefactions of the first centuries of the Empire in their political and social contexts so as to reconstruct the motives of those who provided them. It is followed by an investigation of privately sponsored meals for various associations. Finally, an effort is made to delineate the geographical and long-term chronological distributions of this practice and an attempt is made to explain these patterns. This dissertation demonstrates that in the western half of the Roman Empire, the popularity of privately sponsored communal dining was a region-specific phenomenon which was rooted in specific social and political cultures in the communities of Italy, Baetica and Africa Proconsularis. The region-specific differences in political cultures and long-term changes in these region-specific cultures are key to understanding not only the long persistence of this practice but also its ultimate disappearance. Show less
This thesis on the corporate history of the Concertgebouworchestra reveals that the culture of regents of the Concertgebouw gave the chief conductor more leeway than the orchestra's director... Show moreThis thesis on the corporate history of the Concertgebouworchestra reveals that the culture of regents of the Concertgebouw gave the chief conductor more leeway than the orchestra's director from the start, paving the way for a dominant position of the orchestra leader. Willem Mengelberg, a prominent man with a turbulent life, stipulated not only the artistic but also part of the corporate policy of the Concertgebouw orchestra, and was forceful in doing so. Thus 'model' regulary caused tension involving the talented conductor himself and, at a later stage, his successors. Given the fact that the board had few checks ans balances at its disposal to channel these tensions, conflicts could easily spin out of control. Although several aspects of these problems have been touched upon in literature before, they have never been interpreted and intergrated as in this thesis. This book clearly demonstrates that the Mengelberg model had a major impact on the way chief conductors were looked upon and on the mark they put on management. Thus, a fresh view emerged on a nineteenth-century institution searching its way into the twenty-first century. Within this quest, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Concertgebouw orchestra was slow to appear. Show less
Eurasians were privileged groups of mixed ancestry in Asian colonial societies. They were the result of unions between European males and indigenous women. They neither belonged to the... Show moreEurasians were privileged groups of mixed ancestry in Asian colonial societies. They were the result of unions between European males and indigenous women. They neither belonged to the colonizers, nor to the colonized. When colonization came to an end, the Eurasians found themselves in a difficult position. The European rulers, on which their status was based, were gone. The new indigenous rulers usually perceived them suspiciously as colonial remnants and sometimes even as traitors. In this chaotic, sometimes violent situation, they had to decide where they belonged: in the country of their European fathers or the former colony, the country of their Asian mothers. This was a serious dilemma since they only knew the mother country from stories and lessons at school. In this project I have compared the position and options of the Indo-Europeans with those of similar groups from two other former Asian co lonies, the Anglo-Indians from British India and the Métis people from French Indochina. This study of Eurasians from three former colonies showed that an emancipation paradox of acquiring more rights while discriminated against more at the same time was instrumental in creating the framework in which Eurasians had to make their choices. Show less
The French early modern empire is usually perceived as centralized and controlled by the monarchy. In her dissertation Elisabeth Heijmans probes below the surface of French overseas companies... Show moreThe French early modern empire is usually perceived as centralized and controlled by the monarchy. In her dissertation Elisabeth Heijmans probes below the surface of French overseas companies to reveal strategies and connections of individual actors. Through this study of French company directors it becomes apparent that these companies had other motivations and goals than economic profitability or institutional efficiency alone. Taking the points of view of the directors of the companies operating in Pondichéry (Coromandel Coast in India) and those active in Ouidah (Bight of Benin, West African Coast), Heijmans examines the inter-dependence between institutions and individual agency in the early modern French empire. This research showcases that the French early modern empire relied on cooperation with other European empires, on the participation of private merchants and on the integration in local political and trading context of overseas agents. This situation was made possible by leaving some space for individual agency inside the institutional organization of these companies. Through this focus, Heijmans contributes to a better understanding not only of the expectations of members of French companies but also to the goals of these companies, oriented towards offering a platform for individual agency to stimulate the expanding early empire. Show less
This thesis argues that lobbying was an important phenomenon in the seventeenth-century and that it had far-reaching influence on the course of history. Seventeenth-century lobbying took the form... Show moreThis thesis argues that lobbying was an important phenomenon in the seventeenth-century and that it had far-reaching influence on the course of history. Seventeenth-century lobbying took the form of petitions, personal relations, and pressure through public opinion. The importance of lobbying means that people (including ordinary people) could be more important than large organizations such as the WIC for, for example, the colonial empire. An example of successful lobby includes the introduction of regulations governing the storage of sugar during the night. This quality amelioration was an initiative of the sugar producers and not of the Company. Another example is the successful lobby by the Brazilian inhabitants to not only employ enslaved Africans, but to also force the indigenous population into slave labor on the sugar plantations. Moreover, within the Dutch Republic people were forced to tone down their reports or to alter their opinion because of 'political sensitivities'. It is interesting that lobbying alliances transcended traditional boundaries in society. This means that Jews lobbied with Christians, women with men, soldiers with captains, French people with Scotts and Hollanders, and inhabitants of The Hague together with citizens in Middelburg, Leiden, and Dordrecht.In other words, people made a difference. Show less
This dissertation points out the stark inequalities of segregated criminal justice in nineteenth-century Java and analyses this unequal system in practice, shown by an actor-focused approach... Show moreThis dissertation points out the stark inequalities of segregated criminal justice in nineteenth-century Java and analyses this unequal system in practice, shown by an actor-focused approach and through a framework of legal pluralities. Ravensbergen searched for the conflicts occurring around the green table of the 'pluralistic courts'(landraden and ommegaande rechtbanken) where the non-European population was tried by Javanese and Dutch court members, and Islamic and Chinese legal advisors. The pluralistic courts, the only places in Java where all regional power structures met and actively worked together, were courtrooms of many conflicts. The courts were also in interaction, and conflict, with other state institutions, together all furthering the project of colonial state formation. By taking this approach, Ravensbergen shows how it was not only inequality, but also uncertainty and injustice, that were central to colonial criminal justice imposed on the local population. Show less
This study by artist Jonas Staal explores the development of propaganda art from the 20th to the 21st century. Staal defines propaganda as the performance of power by means of the equation... Show moreThis study by artist Jonas Staal explores the development of propaganda art from the 20th to the 21st century. Staal defines propaganda as the performance of power by means of the equation propaganda = power + performance. Through his work as a propaganda researcher and practice as a propaganda artist, he argues that different structures of power generate different forms of propaganda and therefore different forms of propaganda art. Whereas in the context of the 20th century Staal discusses the differences between avant-garde, totalitarian, and modernist propaganda art, in the 21st century he proposes the categories of War on Terror Propaganda Art, Popular Propaganda Art, and Stateless Propaganda Art. By means of concrete examples of artists and artworks within each of these categories, he attempts to show how the performance of power in the 21st century translates into different visual forms, and how they shape and direct our reality. Staal’s study shows that power and art exist in continuous interaction. Propaganda and propaganda art are not terms that only refer to the past, but concepts and practices through which we can understand the construction of reality in the present. Show less
Many cities advertise services especially for expats, but who are they and why do we welcome them? Are they the ideal migrant, employee and citizen? In this historical study of expats in The Hague... Show moreMany cities advertise services especially for expats, but who are they and why do we welcome them? Are they the ideal migrant, employee and citizen? In this historical study of expats in The Hague and Jakarta in the postwar period, their settlement process in the city is studied from a long-term perspective and on the basis of empirical data from the archives of municipalities, embassies, expat clubs and school, as well as interviews. This study shows that the postwar and postcolonial period witnesses the rise of a new generation of expats who have a more diverse profile when it comes to their nationality, social background, profession, career and family situation. As a result it are no longer only nation states, as was the case in the colonial context, but also private companies, international organizations and urban governments that play an important role in their settlement process. Because expats have more international careers we also see a standardization process occurring in the way expatriate communities organize around the world. This study, however, also urges city governments to remain aware of the specific profile of the expatriates they attract and how internationalization processes affect the opportunities of other citizens in the city. Show less
