This study analyses the representation of the Atlantic world in the Dutch periodical press throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. How did the periodical press cover the Dutch invasion... Show moreThis study analyses the representation of the Atlantic world in the Dutch periodical press throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. How did the periodical press cover the Dutch invasion and colonization of Brazil, the continuous warfare in the Caribbean in the latter part of the seventeenth century, the increasing confrontations between the French and the British in North America in the course of the eighteenth century, and the issue of slavery and slave revolts? It demonstrates how ordinary readers could gain knowledge of a world far beyond their daily horizons and shows how the (tone of the) coverage in the newspapers developed in correlation with the changing position of the Dutch Republic in the geopolitical constellation. Secondly, this study illuminates the news networks themselves, exploring how news travelled from one place to the next and how news networks influenced, and were influenced by, geopolitical developments. Thirdly, by taking a long-term perspective, this study also analyses the development of the periodical press and its function in the wider arena of early modern print media while also tracing the various transformations of the Atlantic world over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Show less
Freemasonry is an initiation society, active in the Netherlands since 1735. This dissertation discusses the history, rituals, material culture and iconography of freemasonry in the Netherlands and... Show moreFreemasonry is an initiation society, active in the Netherlands since 1735. This dissertation discusses the history, rituals, material culture and iconography of freemasonry in the Netherlands and its trade posts in India, Ceylon, the Dutch East Indies, China and Japan. The membership had particular advantages for travellers, which explains why ca. 20-30% of the employees of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) were members. They were involved in the trade in export art for the European and American markets, and also traded privately in goods for the masonic markets. The dissertation describes the daily routine in the lodges in the 18th and 19th centuries, the extraordinary ritual architecture and interiors of lodge buildings on Java, and the production of Chinese export porcelain and Japanese lacquer with complex symbolic decorations. The participation of women and (Eur)asians in lodges on Java is also briefly discussed. As such, the book offers those interested in art history, colonial history and/or the East India Company an introduction into a relatively unknown subject. It provides information for the identification and dating of relevant museum objects, and makes a large amount of material from lodge archives accessible. Show less
This dissertation examines the administrative, political and social developments in the twentieth century that challenged the traditional system of Chinese community leadership in Batavia. To... Show moreThis dissertation examines the administrative, political and social developments in the twentieth century that challenged the traditional system of Chinese community leadership in Batavia. To offer full scope for the analysis of these developments, which had far-reaching implications for the elite status of the Chinese Council and its officers, this dissertation is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter gives an historical overview of Chinese migration to Southeast Asia, the Chinese in Batavia, and the start of the officer system. Chapter two serves as a detailed introduction to the inner-workings of the Chinese Council. Chapter three deals with the intensification of Dutch colonial rule in the Netherlands Indies and its effect on the Chinese community and the Chinese Council. Chapter four looks back on Chinese nationalism and analyses how new ideas about community leadership began to threaten the position of the Chinese Council and its officers in the Chinese community. Chapter five analyses the response of the colonial government to the social changes within the Chinese community and also in colonial society in general. Chapter six evaluates the surprising Chinese response to the plans of the colonial government to abolish the institution of Chinese officers. Finally, chapter seven deals with the final years of the Chinese Council of Batavia and shows how the Chinese officers resumed their tasks after a period of great confusion and uncertainty. Show less
The study explores the specific historical circumstances in which the Mexican state of Chihuahua was created and became integrated into the Mexican federation. Usually, historiography has... Show moreThe study explores the specific historical circumstances in which the Mexican state of Chihuahua was created and became integrated into the Mexican federation. Usually, historiography has considered 1821 as a starting point for the integration of this state to the Mexican nation when Independence was proclaimed in this country. The same happens with the independence studies that generally start in 1810 when the uprising of insurgent forces began. Thus, those temporal arcs form real historiographical boundaries which are difficult to cross. The author argues that in order to achieve a deeper analysis of the creation of the state of Chihuahua, we need to trespass those boundaries. For this purpose, he explores a series of events which took already place during the Spanish colonial rule. He provides an in-depth study of two fundamental events that marked the evolution of the Northern part of present-day of Mexico. Both events originated in Spain in 1767: the Jesuit expulsion and the Sierra Morena colonization project in Spain that was implemented in the internal provinces of Northern Mexico. He concludes that the new ethos of rationality does not begin at the declaration of independence as a new nation project definition; its ideological foundation had already been defined in the old colonial regime. In this manner, there is continuity between the expressions of the old on the Hapsburg model and the new, based in Bourbon impositions, and they were passed down to the new Republican regime. Show less
The German chemist-apothecary Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773-1854) offers a fascinating window on Dutch culture and society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By providing an... Show moreThe German chemist-apothecary Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773-1854) offers a fascinating window on Dutch culture and society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By providing an in-depth analysis of his multi-faceted career in the Netherlands and the Malay Archipelago, this study sheds light on the co-evolutionary character of science, governance, and empire. It argues that seeds of Reinwardt’s professional flexibility lay in his practical training in one of Amsterdam’s chemical workshops and his socialization in a broader cultural context where the improvement of society and economy played a crucial role. Show less
This dissertation project focuses on forced re-education policies for juvenile delinquents in the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and uses this topic to show the interaction between a ... Show moreThis dissertation project focuses on forced re-education policies for juvenile delinquents in the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and uses this topic to show the interaction between a 'modernizing' Dutch colonial state and the growth of a colonial civil society, between approximately 1872 and 1942. It uncovers specific government and private initiatives – like state re-education institutes, orphanages, and schools – that attempted to turn young delinquents of Indonesian and (Indo-)European heritage into 'proper' Dutch colonial subjects and citizens. The dissertation shows that a colonial civil society - both European and indigenous - was rapidly developing in the twentieth century and had an undeniable influence on state policies. The book also seeks to understand and reveal the influence of racialized government and private reform policies on the lives of the children that were deemed 'delinquent', their parents and communities.This dissertation focuses on forced re-education policies for juvenile delinquents in the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and uses this topic to show the interaction between a 'modernizing' Dutch colonial state and the growth of a 'colonial civil society', between approximately 1872 and 1945. It explains the development of specific government and private initiatives like state re-education institutes, orphanages, and schools that attempted to turn young delinquents of Indonesian and (Indo-)European heritage into 'proper' Dutch colonial subjects and citizens. The dissertation shows that a colonial civil society was rapidly developing in the twentieth century and had an undeniable influence on state policies. The dissertation reveals the impact of racialized government and private reform policies on the lives of the children that were deemed 'delinquent', their parents and communities. Show less
From the late 15th century, the Portuguese created a far-flung political, religious and economic network in maritime Asia, where Portuguese men often married Asian or mixed-blood women who were... Show moreFrom the late 15th century, the Portuguese created a far-flung political, religious and economic network in maritime Asia, where Portuguese men often married Asian or mixed-blood women who were Catholic by birth or conversion. The resulting mestiço groups constituted a ubiquitous and important presence in Portuguese Asia for hundreds of years, as they became instrumental in maintaining relations with indigenous Asian societies. One interesting case is the Topasses or black Portuguese population on Timor, which enjoyed a pivotal role on the island in the 17th and 18th centuries. Show less
Photography was first introduced to India in 1840, only a year after the announcements of the daguerreotype and calotype processes in France and England. The fragility of this early material, the... Show morePhotography was first introduced to India in 1840, only a year after the announcements of the daguerreotype and calotype processes in France and England. The fragility of this early material, the uniqueness of the daguerreotype and the harshness of the Indian climate mean that photographs from this time are scarce, leaving us with a fragmented picture of the development of the medium. Show less
Jan George Mulder, a salesman from Haarlem, left a legacy of over 2000 stereo photographs, more than half originating from his time in French colonial Indochina. Yet not one of them contains a... Show moreJan George Mulder, a salesman from Haarlem, left a legacy of over 2000 stereo photographs, more than half originating from his time in French colonial Indochina. Yet not one of them contains a caption or even a hint about the contents. What’s more, Mulder’s life in Vietnam remains something of a mystery. John Kleinen immersed himself in this unique collection, determined to learn more about the images and the man behind them. Show less
At the end of the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded the Philippine Islands to the United States. The U.S. engaged in a three-year war against the Filipinos, who fought fiercely for their... Show moreAt the end of the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded the Philippine Islands to the United States. The U.S. engaged in a three-year war against the Filipinos, who fought fiercely for their independence, and in 1902 it took possession of a country half a world away. Show less
Postcards from French colonies are sold today as nostalgic evocations of a vanished world. The erotic, opiuminfused images of Indochina have been particularly popular since the elegant fiction of... Show morePostcards from French colonies are sold today as nostalgic evocations of a vanished world. The erotic, opiuminfused images of Indochina have been particularly popular since the elegant fiction of exotic utopia they depict was carefully constructed to justify the colonial enterprise. Show less
You were nobody in colonial Java if you didn't carry a parasol. The payung carried so much weight, in fact, that not only Javanese dignitaries but even Dutch administrators could be seen toting one... Show moreYou were nobody in colonial Java if you didn't carry a parasol. The payung carried so much weight, in fact, that not only Javanese dignitaries but even Dutch administrators could be seen toting one. You might think someone as necessarily professional as a doctor also carried a payung. But the right to carry one was codified, and only in 1882 was the Westerneducated Indonesian physician, the so called dokter djawa, deemed enough of a somebody to carry one. Show less
They seem like shards of flash-frozen reality compacted into two dimensions, putative proof of having been there and seen that. They move over various forms of distance and time, while carrying... Show moreThey seem like shards of flash-frozen reality compacted into two dimensions, putative proof of having been there and seen that. They move over various forms of distance and time, while carrying with them ephemeral yet precious moments or sights to be appreciated, and then possibly forgotten. Viewing postcards of colonial Korea as visual records, art objects, or propaganda has generated useful insights; at the same time, Hyung Gu Lynn suggests that postcards of colonial Korea encapsulate and embody the multiple notions of mobility that emerged in the early 20th century. Show less
What the islands deliver is in the first place sandalwood, and also some gold and beeswax.... The inhabitants...who often wage war on each other, sometimes draw the Company into the game..., the... Show moreWhat the islands deliver is in the first place sandalwood, and also some gold and beeswax.... The inhabitants...who often wage war on each other, sometimes draw the Company into the game..., the reason why we sometimes achieve some slaves.... But since the relation with Portugal is at peace again...we have and keep only a small activity on Timor as well as Solor, pending the small trade that is done here, and also because the Portuguese have drawn everything to themselves, being by far the strongest and mostly having the inhabitants by their side through their priests and divines, and by those means taking much advantage over us. Show less
