This dissertation examines the politics of forestry in the context of late Ottoman Mediterranean Anatolia. Exploring the power struggles among officials, timber traders, and Tahtacı communities,... Show moreThis dissertation examines the politics of forestry in the context of late Ottoman Mediterranean Anatolia. Exploring the power struggles among officials, timber traders, and Tahtacı communities, this study discusses how modern forestry practices were negotiated at the local level. In the nineteenth century, in order to gain more effective control over forests, the Ottoman government introduced a series of reforms toward “scientific forestry.” In the implementation of these reforms not only did opposing interests clash at the central level but local interest groups involved in regional trade networks also appeared as influential actors. On the one hand, negotiations between officials and traders undermined “scientific forestry” as a high modernist ideal. On the other, this complex network constituted an integral part of modern forestry practices and prevailing power struggles. Despite fragmented interests within the administration as well as various obstacles officials encountered in monitoring forests, the new forestry practices brought about a dramatic transformation of the countryside. Most importantly, increasing pressure on forests and forest-dependent communities due to intensified commercialization caused an overexploitation of nature and labor. Focusing on the changing subsistence strategies of Tahtacı communities, this study investigates the impact of these changes on the hill societies of Mediterranean Anatolia. Show less
At least since the late twentieth century, historians of science have discussed the skills, character and virtues that make for good scholarship. Different virtues have been emphasized by different... Show moreAt least since the late twentieth century, historians of science have discussed the skills, character and virtues that make for good scholarship. Different virtues have been emphasized by different authors. These virtues include love of truth, impartiality and imagination. In my study I look at virtues of scholarship in the practice of everyday scholarly life, such as collaborating on a text edition, editing a scholarly journal and evaluating one’s peers in book reviews and letters of recommendation.I take a close look at peer networks of leading late nineteenth-century German academics. I mostly focus on the orientalist Theodor Nöldeke, the experimental psychologist Wilhelm Wundt and the bacteriologists Robert Koch and Emil Behring. This interdisciplinary perspective allows me to identify virtues shared by scholars with very different intellectual backgrounds who use different methods to study different matters.My research shows that loyal collegiality and critical independence were the virtues that were central to all practices of scholarship across all disciplines. The relations between these virtues, however, were complicated. Academics continuously struggled to balance loyalty and independence vis-à-vis each other, institutions of scholarship, the state and the private sector, in what is best described as a moral economy of scholarship. Show less
From guilds to regional education and training centres, the history of vocational education and training in the city of Leiden.This thesis addresses the history of vocational education and training... Show moreFrom guilds to regional education and training centres, the history of vocational education and training in the city of Leiden.This thesis addresses the history of vocational education and training (VET) in Leiden. It focuses on the question of responsibility for VET through six ages: public body or social initiatives? This is associated with the question whether educational objectives differ according to the body responsible. Is a more comprehensive education the concern of governments alone, and are social initiatives limited to narrow-based practical training?The point of departure is a study by Wolf-Dietrich Greinert. He distinguishes three VET models in response to industrialisation: the market model, the liberal response (predominant in England), the rational state-bureaucratic model (FRance), and the dual corporative model (Germany).The study shows that Leiden has not been dominated by a single model throughout the ages. Primarly responsibility for establishment and maintenance of VET has been borne consecutively by several bodies. The connection that Greinert finds between the body responsible and the goals pursued, is not manifest in the history of VET in Leiden. Goals set by public parties extended beyond professional skills only. And private initiatives also intended to provide a broader social education as well. Show less
In the century after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) Europeans witnessed a considerable number of devastating persecutions of confessional minorities. Decisions to punish dissenting religious groups... Show moreIn the century after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) Europeans witnessed a considerable number of devastating persecutions of confessional minorities. Decisions to punish dissenting religious groups were among the most controversial and consequential policies of early modern states. There was therefore a genuine interest in news about religious persecutions among different strata of society, and writers and publishers were keen to meet this demand. Especially in the Dutch Republic, numerous newspapers, pamphlets, and periodicals flowed from the presses to confront news consumers throughout Europe with the plight of foreign communities. To reach and affect their audiences, opinion makers had to answer a fundamental question, which we still grapple with in our own times: Why should we care about distant suffering? This dissertation investigates, first, which arguments were used to communicate religious persecution ca. 1650-1750, a period that is often approached in terms of political secularization. Second, it identifies which stakeholders were engaged in the international production of topical persecution literature, and examines who they saw as their audience. Finally, tying in with the nascent historiography of early modern ‘public diplomacy’, this study explores the role which topical persecution literature played in domestic and international politics. Show less
A biography of the statesman Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). It's the story of his life as marine-officer, sailor, sugar entrepreneur and politician in colonial affairs. He was the leader of the... Show moreA biography of the statesman Fransen van de Putte (1822-1902). It's the story of his life as marine-officer, sailor, sugar entrepreneur and politician in colonial affairs. He was the leader of the Puttianen and he was the stongest opposer of the statesman Thorbecke. He abolished the cultuurstelsel in its most aspects. Under his responsibility the Atjeh war broke out. Show less
This study goes beyond the analysis of the causes of the emergence of populist actors in the party system, focusing instead on those cases in which populism and its counterpart anti-populism,... Show moreThis study goes beyond the analysis of the causes of the emergence of populist actors in the party system, focusing instead on those cases in which populism and its counterpart anti-populism, translate into an ideological and discursive divide that contributes to structuring a certain party system. When populism/anti-populism emerges as a political cleavage, the factors behind parties’ political choices in general, and electoral coalition preferences in particular, can be affected. For this new cleavage to start to polarize, a change in the political opportunity structure is needed. In fact, when the political opportunity structure opens as a consequence of events external to the party system new actors may enter the system, producing a change in the dynamic of competition. Moreover, considering also the organizational density of the parties in the system, defined as the power of penetration of a given party, both in terms of intensity and reach, this dissertation can shed light on the likely duration not only of the parties but also of the cleavage. Show less
The VOC received complaints of corruption about its officials in Bengal. Accordingly, they sent a special committee to investigate its factories in this region in 1684. The committee’s reports... Show moreThe VOC received complaints of corruption about its officials in Bengal. Accordingly, they sent a special committee to investigate its factories in this region in 1684. The committee’s reports exposed several illegal practices of the officials and the growth of Dutch nabobs who lived elite lifestyles under the Mughal administration in Bengal. Consequently, a few officials were charged with corruption and put to trial at the Company’s court. But instances of corrupt behaviour were not reduced in the subsequent years. What was the purpose of sending the committee then and what was the conduct that the VOC directors expected of their officials, both in the Dutch Republic and its factories in Mughal Bengal? This dissertation answers such questions by studying the committee’s operations in Bengal, located at the interface of two very different political settings: the Dutch Republic and the Mughal Empire. It concludes that the socio-political developments in the Dutch Republic and the regional politics in Mughal Bengal affected the situation in the VOC and its policies against corruption of its officials. Show less
Conflict mobiles are individuals whose mobility—and lack of mobility—is informed by violence andconflict. Based on personal narratives of those who move across borders within and beyond the Central... Show moreConflict mobiles are individuals whose mobility—and lack of mobility—is informed by violence andconflict. Based on personal narratives of those who move across borders within and beyond the Central African region, this thesis is an ethnography of mobility. By taking mobility as its axiom and placing the lives of people on the move at its centre, the goal of this thesis is twofold. On the one hand, it contests fixed (national) borders and defies static historical readings of Central Africa. On the other hand, it investigates how the multiple trajectories of individuals in Central African give form to the mobility paradigm. There are many avatars of the conflict mobile, the CAR (Central African Republic) refugee-students in Kinshasa (DR Congo), on whom the empirical part of this thesis is based, form only one. It is these students’ journeys, their life stories and means of fending for themselves, as well as their dreams and frustrations, that stand at the core of this thesis. By acknowledging the role of the people (including artists) with whom researchers produce knowledge, this thesis finally invites the reader to ‘un-border’ by looking at the field, and academia, through a mobile lens. Show less
Studying the connections between the coasts and hinterlands is crucial to understanding histories of the early modern Indian Ocean empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals and Manchus. The Mughal... Show moreStudying the connections between the coasts and hinterlands is crucial to understanding histories of the early modern Indian Ocean empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals and Manchus. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s southern campaigns (1682-1707) were part of the Mughal project of integrating the coasts with the heartland of the empire. This dissertation studies the impact that Aurangzeb’s southern campaigns had on the economy of Coromandel, a major textile producing and exporting region of the erstwhile Indian Ocean where the VOC (Dutch East India Company) had extensive commercial stakes. Instead of causing a decline, Aurangzeb’s southern campaigns transformed Coromandel’s economy by reorienting economic centres. The impact of wars was different across Coromandel. In northern Coromandel, Masulipatnam lost its position of a regional entrepot in the Bay of Bengal, while better food security in southern Coromandel – thanks to good rice harvests in the Kaveri delta – helped the region remain immune to the destabilizing effects of wars and attracted textile weavers from the north. The biggest effect of Aurangzeb’s southern campaigns was the relative rise of the port cities of southern Coromandel. Show less
This research explores how undergraduate programmes in early childhood education in Chile have contributed to the construction of a knowledge base relevant to the profession. As a descriptive... Show moreThis research explores how undergraduate programmes in early childhood education in Chile have contributed to the construction of a knowledge base relevant to the profession. As a descriptive multiple case study, it analyses the evolution of the plans of study in five programmes, between 1981 and 2015. Relying on major theoretical perspectives on professionalism, the analysis emphasizes the attributes of the knowledge base of professionalism, and the role of universities in constructing and transmitting the professions’ knowledge base. Findings show that undergraduate preparation has gone through three phases involving different conceptualizations on early childhood teachers: technical (1944-1967), teaching specialty (1968-1998), and profession (1999-2015). Furthermore, the five cases have not been able to construct a theoretically solid knowledge base. Nor have they been able to decisively incorporate three largely agreed-upon elements of their identity knowledge, or to satisfactorily resolve tensions regarding their own knowledge base. Remarkably, different theoretical perspectives on professionalism point in the same direction. This research concludes that the five cases have had little influence on constructing their own knowledge base. Thus, the evolution of their plans of study has been similar to a process of professionalization driven “from above” being the Ministry of Education the leading actor. Show less
This study investigates the settlement system in the Roman provinces of Germania Superior, Raetia and Noricum by combining historical and archaeological sources. From this study it appears that a... Show moreThis study investigates the settlement system in the Roman provinces of Germania Superior, Raetia and Noricum by combining historical and archaeological sources. From this study it appears that a complex settlement system existed in the region before the Roman conquest. However, under influence of the Roman administration that settlement system changed. Transitions could be observed in the location of centres, in their lay-out and services. A total of 30 self-governing towns were found for the Roman period, founded between the 1st century and the early 3rd century AD. Because this relatively low number of towns allowed many subordinate centres in the region to take up central services of cultural or economic kind for a wider region. The study identified the presence of the Roman army as an important incentive for the urban development in the region. Many Roman towns originated from a military base and the needs for communication, agricultural products, utensils and cultural activities in order to sustain the soldiers encouraged the countryside and centres to flourish. In a final chapter the study takes a critical look at the numerous remains of this Roman settlement system which are nowadays considered as heritage. Show less
In the second half of the eighteenth century, the island of Walcheren was the center of the Dutch Transatlantic slave trade. This dissertation focuses on the impact of this trade on the local... Show moreIn the second half of the eighteenth century, the island of Walcheren was the center of the Dutch Transatlantic slave trade. This dissertation focuses on the impact of this trade on the local economy during the peak years of 1755 to 1780. It contains a discussion of the slave traders and their business practices and traces the commodity chains of various goods exported to West-Africa for the trade in enslaved Africans. It finds that the trade was strongly embedded in local economic structures. Many slave traders – both merchants and investors – were able to circumvent the limited profitability of the slave trade by combining related economic activities. About 5 to 6 percent of the economy of Middelburg was connected to the slave trade during the peak years, while the Flushing economy was even more geared towards this trade in human beings (about 25 percent of all local income connected to this trade). While the slave trade had a positive impact on many tradition industries on the island, most notably gunpowder production, it did not lead to industrial or financial innovations on Walcheren. Show less
When thinking about criminality, it is generally not a female protagonist that first comes to mind – especially not in early modern Italy, where women’s scope of action is commonly portrayed as... Show moreWhen thinking about criminality, it is generally not a female protagonist that first comes to mind – especially not in early modern Italy, where women’s scope of action is commonly portrayed as heavily restricted. This dissertation examines the influence of gender on recorded crime in the city of Bologna, and reveals two distinct features: the prominence of violence among recorded crime, and a consistently low share of formally investigated female offenders. Rather than seeking to explain this crime pattern through the stereotypical notion of women’s restricted agency alone, this dissertation distinguishes three other important mechanisms for cities like Bologna: the tendency to institutionalise rather than criminalise ‘problematic women’, judicial paternalism, and, importantly, the pervasive culture of peace-making. While all of these mechanisms withdrew women from formal criminal prosecutions, a close-reading of hundreds of complaints alongside the formal investigations allows us to uncover women’s far more prominent roles in crime. Not only were women’s shares among offenders much higher than the formal investigations alone would suggest, the fact that female victims of crime actively and strategically employed the criminal court to their own ends speaks to the notion that women’s scope of action was far more significant than was commonly assumed. Show less
This study offers a new interpretation of Karnatak in the second half of the eighteenth century, when the polity rapidly transformed from a Mughal province to an independent Nawabi state to a... Show moreThis study offers a new interpretation of Karnatak in the second half of the eighteenth century, when the polity rapidly transformed from a Mughal province to an independent Nawabi state to a territory under the domination of the British East India Company (EIC). Overall, the dissertation has shown that various forces from three different worlds—Mughal, European, and local South Indian, impacted the development of the region and that its Nawab, Muhammad Ali Khan Walajah, attempted to adjust to the challenges he faced by innovatively combining useful elements from all the three spheres. It argues that the Nawab took the Mughal Empire as his model of state-formation. However, while the Mughal paradigm worked well in many aspects, his incorporation of the EIC caused some unexpected consequences. A major challenge of the Nawab throughout his reign was how to prevent further dominance of the EIC over his actions, while at the same time still reaping a wide range of benefits—politically, economically, and socio-culturally—of this powerful ally to support his power locally. The study eventually proposes how fresh perspectives and approaches suggested in this new interpretation of Karnatak history can contribute to recent historiographies on the eighteenth-century and pre-colonial South Asia. Show less
This work presents a political biography of nineteenth century lawyer and statesman Dirk Donker Curtius. Donker advocated freedom of religion, speech and press through lawsuits, brochures and... Show moreThis work presents a political biography of nineteenth century lawyer and statesman Dirk Donker Curtius. Donker advocated freedom of religion, speech and press through lawsuits, brochures and articles and found himself at the centre of power amidst the 1848 political and societal developments. This dissertation reveals that Donker had a larger role than assumed in the Dutch liberal discourse in development of the liberal movement prior to 1848 and practical implementation of reformist ideas thereafter. Specifically, this study of Donker’s career argues that through his skilful and pragmatic service as Minister of Justice in the first years after the creation of the 1848 liberal constitution, he played a pivotal role in its consolidation and perpetuation. Show less
The dissertation examines an early migration control system, which existed on the Habsburg-Ottoman border in the eighteenth century. Between the 1720s and the 1850s, migrants entering the Habsburg... Show moreThe dissertation examines an early migration control system, which existed on the Habsburg-Ottoman border in the eighteenth century. Between the 1720s and the 1850s, migrants entering the Habsburg Monarchy from the Ottoman Empire had to go through official border crossings, where they were controlled and registered. Similar migration control system did not exist at that time anywhere else in Europe. Through research of archives in Austria, Serbia and Croatia, as well as many narrative sources, the dissertation explores an array of questions: what was the origin of that, at the time, unusual border arrangement, where after 1699 a clearly demarcated boundary separated Habsburg and Ottoman territories? How did it affect border life and the Habsburg-Ottoman relationship? How could the Habsburg Monarchy, with its limited administrative apparatus, effectively enforce migration controls? What was the role of the permanent cordon sanitaire? How did the Military Border soldiers and other stakeholders, such as border inhabitants, the Ottoman border authorities and the migrants themselves contribute to migration control? Finally, the dissertation explores whether the goal of the system was to restrict or to facilitate migrations. Quantitatively analysing migrant lists, it researches the impact of border controls on migration numbers and structure. Show less
This dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their... Show moreThis dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their household connections. This study of the political life of the Köprülü grand viziers is intended to provide insight into two main lines of inquiry. Firstly, it offers an important opportunity to analyze the relationship between the sultan and the vizier, two powerful figures of the political system, from the late sixteenth century up until the late seventeenth century. Secondly, it opens up the possibility of providing a detailed analysis of the structure of the vizierial households that appeared on the political scene from the sixteenth century onwards. This dissertation argues that the most decisive factor in the establishment and consolidation of the Köprülü power was the high level of support provided by Hadice Turhan Sultan and Mehmed IV. It also argues that Köprülü Mehmed Pasha and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha established the most efficient political network stretching from the provinces to the central bureaucracy of the seventeenth century by the end of their twenty-year tenure. Show less
This thesis explores the development of urban politics and the role of craft guilds in the city of Utrecht in the period of about 1250 to 1450. Three issues are specifically addressed: the... Show moreThis thesis explores the development of urban politics and the role of craft guilds in the city of Utrecht in the period of about 1250 to 1450. Three issues are specifically addressed: the development of the city’s political institutions, seen from the viewpoint of social and political groups seeking representation and influence (chapters 1 and 2); the development of political discourse and urban historiography (chapter 3); and the role of violence in urban politics (chapters 4 and 5). Within the period under consideration, the main focus is to uncover dynamic processes, and not to present a static view of ‘late medieval’ institutions, practices and political culture in Utrecht. Late medieval urban government was in constant change, and in this period, particularly, important changes took place in the character of urban politics and the political role that the craft guilds and their membership played in Utrecht. Show less
One of the tasks of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Tydeman's lifetime was the hydrographic survey of the seas at home and in the colonial waters. The hydrographic expertise of naval officers could... Show moreOne of the tasks of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Tydeman's lifetime was the hydrographic survey of the seas at home and in the colonial waters. The hydrographic expertise of naval officers could also be applied to other endeavours like scientific expeditions.In the second half of the nineteenth century private scientific societies took the initiative to engage in maritime research. Contact between scientists and the Navy resulted in naval assintance in scientific research. The Navy took part in polar expeditions and in scientific explorations in the tropics. As a junior officer Gustaaf Tydeman was involved in hydrographic surveij in the East Indies and in Dutch coastal waters. Tydeman was commanding officer of H. Neth. MS Siboga during the oceanographic expedition in the East Indian Archipelago in 1899-1900. He continued his years in the Navy as commanding officer of the Royal Naval College, of large ships and of a squadron of ships in teh East Indies. He was promoted to flagofficer in his command of the Naval establishment in Amsterdam. His achievements as hydrographer and commanding officer of a ship on a scientific expedition and author of several publications made his naval career exceptional. Show less
