Between 1848 and 1914 around 5,800 Swiss Mercenaries enlisted in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) to fight in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Following the traces of these mercenaries... Show moreBetween 1848 and 1914 around 5,800 Swiss Mercenaries enlisted in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) to fight in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Following the traces of these mercenaries beyond the confines of the Dutch Empire, this book elucidates the complexities of the nineteenth-century military labour markets and provides an intricate examination of the mercenaries’ socio-cultural backgrounds, their motives, and their engagement with local communities and authorities. In doing so, it reveals the profound effects of colonialism not only on the colonies themselves, but also on the social, economic and cultural landscape of the European hinterland. Show less
De Italiaanse overheersing (1912-1943) zorgde voor een grondige transformatie van de Dodekánisos. Er werden tal van infrastructurele werken ondernomen en verschillende hoofdplaatsen, in het... Show moreDe Italiaanse overheersing (1912-1943) zorgde voor een grondige transformatie van de Dodekánisos. Er werden tal van infrastructurele werken ondernomen en verschillende hoofdplaatsen, in het bijzonder Rodos-stad, kregen een stedenbouwkundige ‘make over’ naar fascistisch model. De Possedimenti Italiani dell’Egeo fungeerden als propagandistisch schouwtoneel dat Benito Mussolini en de zijnen internationaal aanzien moest verschaffen. De voornaamste functie van de koloniale bezittingen was en bleef echter militair-strategisch van aard. Nergens was dat zo duidelijk als op Leros, het eiland dat uitgroeide tot een militaire superbasis. Show less
This dissertation examines the efforts and motives of conservation actors on Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, and situates these actors within the larger context of the Caribbean Netherlands. The... Show moreThis dissertation examines the efforts and motives of conservation actors on Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, and situates these actors within the larger context of the Caribbean Netherlands. The main research question addressed is: How are the efforts of conservation actors to protect the environment of the Caribbean Netherlands affected by the recent social and political changes and their (post) colonial context? To get at these issues, this dissertation combines insights and approaches from environmental psychology, anthropology, and Caribbean studies to investigate how and why residents of the Caribbean Netherlands engage in conservation actions. Situated in social history, cultural and environmental anthropology, public administration, and environmental science, this research aims to create a broader, less compartmentalized, picture and also addresses societal concerns. Because of its multidisciplinary and multi-method character, this dissertation produces information that will be useful in engaging more people in environmental conservation In the (Dutch) Caribbean. Show less
De primaire focus van dit proefschrift is het onderzoeken van de politieke ideeën van BG Tilak (1856-1920), de congres-extremistische leider van de Indiase nationalistische beweging en, in het... Show moreDe primaire focus van dit proefschrift is het onderzoeken van de politieke ideeën van BG Tilak (1856-1920), de congres-extremistische leider van de Indiase nationalistische beweging en, in het proces, de politieke en intellectuele geschiedenis van Maharashtra en India te reconstrueren tijdens de late 19e en begin 20e eeuw. Deze dissertatie daagt de oudere stijlfiguur uit die Tilak binnen de reikwijdte van de meerderheid van de hindoe-nationalistische politiek plaatst. Het plaatst zijn sociale conservatisme in de heersende sociale overtuigingen van en liturgische lezingen aangeboden door de laat 19e-eeuwse Marathi openbare intellectuelen. De belangrijkste agenda van Tilak was de creatie van een gecollectiviseerd en geradicaliseerd hindoe-zelf, geponeerd tegen het Britse kolonialisme. Zijn creatieve versmelting van moderne westerse historische exegese met Sanskriet kennissystemen in het pleiten voor hoge oudheid voor de Arische beschaving worden onderzocht. Zijn commentaar op de Bhagavad Gītā bood een infusie van ethische principes in massaal politiek activisme. Tilak slaagde erin om provinciale parochialisme ten opzichte van pan-nationale identiteiten te verminderen. Ten slotte stelt dit proefschrift dat het nationalistische ideaal van Tilak beperkt was tot Svarājya of Zelfbeschikking voor India binnen het Britse Gemenebest. Show less
Afscheidscollege van Prof. dr. Gert J. Oostindie Directeur van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV-KNAW) Hoogleraar Koloniale en Postkoloniale Geschiedenis aan de... Show moreAfscheidscollege van Prof. dr. Gert J. Oostindie Directeur van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV-KNAW) Hoogleraar Koloniale en Postkoloniale Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit Leiden uitgesproken op vrijdag 17 december 2021 Show less
"Onder faveur van ’t canon" VOC – Artillerie 1602-1796 studies the development and the VOC’s use of a policy that creates additional advantages for its own military means and opportunities on the... Show more"Onder faveur van ’t canon" VOC – Artillerie 1602-1796 studies the development and the VOC’s use of a policy that creates additional advantages for its own military means and opportunities on the one hand, and simultaneously weakens potential opponents on the other hand. This resulted in important advantages in terms of effectiveness and firepower for the VOC compared to local opponents. Because of this artificial balance, the VOC could economise the military budget without negatively impacting its own power. The policy is analysed by studying the most effective weapon: the artillery. The artillery was utmost complex in terms of management, organisation, administration, and required knowledge and skills. The policy was succesful, but had limitations: it could not be applied against contractor states and in areas where potent local states had access to the weapon’s market. Furthermore, the defense against European opponents during the 18th century became increasingly important. Although the VOC developed in its final days good concepts, the realisation of these concepts was could not be achieved by the VOC nor the Dutch Republic, as this would exceed the existent financial means. Show less
This dissertation studies the changes in the rural economy and society of south-eastern Panjab during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This region was an ecological and political frontier,... Show moreThis dissertation studies the changes in the rural economy and society of south-eastern Panjab during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This region was an ecological and political frontier, where nomadic-pastoral and agrarian ways of life overlapped, and effective power lay in the hands of different husbanding communities, which were each represented by warlords from established clans. This research seeks to understand the impact of colonization upon south-eastern Panjab, where the British East India Company first acquired a foothold in 1803. The Company faced two main challenges. First, the large number of princes, chiefs, and warlords whose domains dotted the region, and whose authority posed a challenge to that of the British. Second, the itinerant ways of local agro-pastoral populations, which made them difficult to monitor and tax. How did the state’s attempts to counter these challenges impact local populations? In particular, how did it affect the households of the husbandman, the warlord and the preceptor, the three key figures in rural society? It is these questions that this thesis seeks to answer. It suggests that while the region was impoverished by colonization, the household-based rural order survived into the twentieth century. Show less
Unlike most city histories, this book focuses exclusively on the city’s connections with colonialism and slavery. Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, is one of Europe’s leading ports. Its... Show moreUnlike most city histories, this book focuses exclusively on the city’s connections with colonialism and slavery. Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, is one of Europe’s leading ports. Its maritime expansion was intrinsically linked to Dutch colonialism, including slave trading and colonial slavery in the Americas, Africa and Asia. This painful history sits uneasily with the city’s modern cosmopolitan image and its large population of ‘new Rotterdammers’ with colonial roots. The present volume provides a summary of the research that has documented this history, with chapters on the contribution of colonial trade to economic development; the city’s involvement in slavery; the role of the urban political elites; the impact on urban development and architecture; the ‘ethical impulse’; colonial art and ethnographic collections; colonial and postcolonial migration; and finally the resonance of this history in postcolonial Rotterdam. Show less
EnglishThe position of children under the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Sri Lanka has been a hitherto fairly neglected subject in the historiography on the VOC. Recent studies have demonstrated... Show moreEnglishThe position of children under the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Sri Lanka has been a hitherto fairly neglected subject in the historiography on the VOC. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of focusing on children in colonial contexts during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially when analysing political rationalities of colonial power and religion. While the VOC was an early modern mercantilist company, it sought to impose intellectual, moral and bodily discipline on the local population. The Company wanted to create subjects through education and the introduction of Protestant religion, explicitly targeting children. Why did an early modern mercantilist Company-state attempt to create loyal subjects? How was the Dutch Reformed Church involved in this process of subject-making in Sri Lanka, and what was the importance accorded to children? Using ordinances, visitation reports, minutes from church council meetings and school thombos (parish registers containing school data), I will show why children in eighteenth century Sri Lanka were targets of Dutch colonial subject-making.NederlandsDe positie van kinderen onder de Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) in Sri Lanka is een tot nog toe weinig verkend perspectief in de historiografie over de VOC. Recente studies over kinderen in de negentiende- en twintigste-eeuwse koloniale context hebben laten zien dat dit een belangrijk uitgangspunt is voor het bestuderen van de politieke visies achter koloniale en religieuze machtsstructuren. Hoewel ze een vroegmoderne, commerciële compagnie was, wilde ook de VOC morele, intellectuele en lichamelijke discipline opleggen aan de lokale bevolking. Door het gebruik van educatie en het invoeren van de protestantse religie wilde de Compagnie hen omvormen tot loyale onderdanen, en zij richtte zich daarbij expliciet op kinderen. Waarom probeerde een vroegmoderne, mercantilistische Compagnie-staat haar bevolking door een proces van ‘subject-making’ aan zich te binden? Hoe was de Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk betrokken in dit proces in Sri Lanka, en welke rol en welk belang werd hierin aan kinderen toebedeeld? Met behulp van visitatierapporten, minuten van de Kerkenraadvergadering en ‘school thombos’ (kerkelijke dorpsregisters die schooldata bevatten) laat ik zien waarom kinderen in het achttiende-eeuwse Sri Lanka het doelwit waren van een Nederlands, koloniaal disciplineringsbeleid. Show less
Before 1936, musical practices in Palestine relied heavily on colloquial poetry, especially in rural communities, which constituted most of the population. During the first half of the twentieth... Show moreBefore 1936, musical practices in Palestine relied heavily on colloquial poetry, especially in rural communities, which constituted most of the population. During the first half of the twentieth century, Palestinian music evolved as a reflection of the social, cultural, and political evolution of Palestinians. Palestinian music-making evolved exponentially resulting in the expansion of various folk tunes into shaʿbī songs, the creation of the Palestinian qaṣīda song genre, new compositions of instrumental music for traditional and Western music formations, the establishment of choirs and children music programing, and active engagement in composing in the styles of the dominant Egyptian genres of the time as well as muwashshaḥāt.In 1948, the vast majority of Palestinians were displaced, and musicians found themselves at the frontier of implementing new political and cultural visions in the countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Therefore, the continuation of the musical narrative in the West Bank did not seem attainable. By the early 1950s, Palestinian musicians and intellectuals developed a vocabulary that reflected the topography, scenery, culture, dialects, and history of al-Mashriq, one that is independent of Egypt’s. Their input, intuition, experience, and convictions of various Palestinian musicians helped to make the music scene in Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan what they are today. Show less
This multidisciplinary volume brings together scholars and writers who try to come to terms with the histories and legacies of European slavery in the Indian Ocean. The volume discusses a variety... Show moreThis multidisciplinary volume brings together scholars and writers who try to come to terms with the histories and legacies of European slavery in the Indian Ocean. The volume discusses a variety of qualitative data on the experience of being a slave in order to recover ordinary lives and, crucially, to place this experience in its Asian local context. Building on the rich scholarship on the slave trade, this volume offers a unique perspective that embraces the origin and afterlife of enslavement as well as the imaginaries and representations of slaves rather than the trade in slaves itself. Show less
De mailboten die in de periode 1850-1940 tussen Nederland en Nederlands-Indië voeren, vormden een microkolonie: een gecomprimeerde versie van de koloniale samenleving. Tijdens de zeereis zaten... Show moreDe mailboten die in de periode 1850-1940 tussen Nederland en Nederlands-Indië voeren, vormden een microkolonie: een gecomprimeerde versie van de koloniale samenleving. Tijdens de zeereis zaten witte nieuwkomers, ervaren reizigers en het inheemse (scheeps)personeel gedurende meerdere weken onder wisselende weersomstandigheden op een beperkte oppervlakte met elkaar opgescheept. Geen wonder dat er veel romans en korte verhalen zijn geschreven over het leven aan boord, verhalen vol extreme emoties, harde botsingen en bijzondere lotsverbindingen. Aan de hand van een analyse van 43 reisverhalen laat Coen van ’t Veer zien hoe in de contact zone van het schip de koloniale identiteit wordt gerepresenteerd en geconstrueerd.De idealen die hierbij een rol spelen, bewegen mee op de golven van het koloniale politieke getij. Op subtielewijze laten deze koloniale mechanismen nog steeds hun sporen na in onze postkoloniale samenleving. 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
