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
The Egyptian hieroglyphic script was exceptionally versatile, as becomes clear when studying its multiple uses both within Ancient Egypt and beyond its borders. Even the few cases discussed in this... Show moreThe Egyptian hieroglyphic script was exceptionally versatile, as becomes clear when studying its multiple uses both within Ancient Egypt and beyond its borders. Even the few cases discussed in this booklet demonstrate that in the ancient world hieroglyphs appealed to a wide readership, which ranged from highly accomplished scribes, artists and priests, to semi-literate workmen, as well as to speakers of non-Egyptian languages. Creative processes within these different groups resulted in very different adaptations of regular hieroglyphic writing: highly specialized enigmatic compositions, less informed ad hoc orthographies, isolated uses of hieroglyphs as marks and emblems, and the development of new writing systems. Important reasons for the wide appeal and deep impact of hieroglyphic writing are the iconicity and cultural messages of its individual signs on the one hand, and its remarkable semiotic strategies in rendering human language on the other. Show less
Contrary to what Kant believed about the Dutch (and their visual culture) as “being of an orderly and diligent position” and thus having no feeling for the sublime, this book argues that the... Show moreContrary to what Kant believed about the Dutch (and their visual culture) as “being of an orderly and diligent position” and thus having no feeling for the sublime, this book argues that the sublime played an important role in seventeenth-century Dutch visual and decorative art, architecture, and theater.By looking at different visualizations of exceptional heights, divine presence, overwhelming natural phenomena, political grandeur, extreme violence, and extraordinary artifacts, the authors demonstrate how viewers were confronted with the sublime, which evoked in them a combination of contrasting feelings of awe and fear, attraction and repulsion. In studying seventeenth-century Dutch visual culture through the lens of notions of the sublime, we can move beyond the traditional and still widespread views on Dutch art as the ultimate representation of everyday life and the expression of a prosperous society in terms of calmness, neatness, and order.The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, architectural history, and cultural history. Show less
This book closely analyses the rise and fall of Louis XIV's marine insurance institutions in Paris, which were central to the French monarchy's efforts to stimulate commerce, colonial enterprise... Show moreThis book closely analyses the rise and fall of Louis XIV's marine insurance institutions in Paris, which were central to the French monarchy's efforts to stimulate commerce, colonial enterprise and economic growth. These institutions were the projects of two leading ministers, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and his son, the Marquis de Seignelay. While both men recognised that marine insurance was crucial for protecting commercial investment in French maritime endeavours, Colbert looked to private enterprise to lure capital away from passive investments in state debt towards the marine insurance industry. Seignelay, by contrast, leveraged the tools of privilege on which the French economy was built by creating the first chartered company in the history of marine insurance. In exploring the global insurance portfolios of the men and women who joined these institutions - and the conflicts that arose when maritime incidents came into dispute - the book identifies the absolute monarchy itself as the source of the institutions' struggles. While the markets of Amsterdam and London thrived in the long run, Parisian insurers were made to bear the burden of maritime and colonial losses during Louis XIV's costly wars to make up for the state's inadequate protection of French shipping, the French Atlantic empire and the Parisian market. This encapsulates, the book argues, the overarching system of risk management that lay at the heart of absolutism itself. Show less
In 1978, UNESCO Secretary General Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow compared cultural colonial objects to ‘witnesses to history’. Their treatment is one of the most debated questions of our time. Calls for a... Show moreIn 1978, UNESCO Secretary General Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow compared cultural colonial objects to ‘witnesses to history’. Their treatment is one of the most debated questions of our time. Calls for a novel international cultural order go back to decolonization. However, for decades, the issue has been treated as a matter of comity or been reduced to a Shakespearean dilemma: to return or not to return. This book seeks to go beyond these classic dichotomies. It argues that contemporary practices are at a tipping point. It shows that cultural takings were material to the colonial project throughout different periods (early takings, birth of modern nation state, nineteenth-century scramble for objects) and went far beyond looting. It relies on micro histories and object biographies to trace recurring justifications and contestations of takings and returns, and the complicity of anthropology, racial science, and professional networks in colonial collecting. It demonstrates the dual role of law and cultural heritage regulation in enabling colonial injustices, and mobilizing resistance thereto. It challenges the argument that takings were acceptable according to the standards of the time. Drawing on the interplay between justice, ethics, and human rights, it develops a theory of entanglement to rethink contemporary approaches. It shows that future engagement requires a reinvention of knowledge systems and relations towards objects, including new forms of consent, provenance research, partnership and a rethinking of the role of museums themselves. It proposes principles of relational cultural justice to confront ongoing historic, legal, and economic entanglements and enable normative transformation. Show less
Universities and their teachers are more than ever required to (re)design their courses considering online environments. Although face-to-face teaching remains fundamental, exploring online... Show moreUniversities and their teachers are more than ever required to (re)design their courses considering online environments. Although face-to-face teaching remains fundamental, exploring online alternatives is becoming increasingly necessary. Still, how can university teacher designers proceed with such a change in their courses? What is the most effective way to design an online course? How can university teacher designers attract the attention of students and make teaching interesting and compelling? Evidence-Based Blended and Online Learning: Course Design for University Teachers answers these questions. It provides a thorough evidence-based overview of each step required to make an effective course redesign.The book is aimed at teachers and, more significantly, teacher designers committed to redesigning their courses based on solid principles. The book’s design approach makes it much easier to translate the results of educational research on applying blended learning in educational practice.Jan Nedermeijer has worked as an educational expert for several universities and as a senior expert for PUM Netherlands in several countries. The book synthesises the results of the numerous course- and curriculum-development projects he has conducted over many years. His approach can help university teachers implement IT in feasible, practical and interesting ways.Evidence-Based Blended and Online Learning gives lecturers tailor-made pedagogical suggestions for designing modern higher education. Course design tasks are re-described, using features from technical design, problem solving, and design thinking, where creative design has a unique and essential role. Show less
Korsten, F.W.A.; Leemans, I.; Haven, C. van der; Vanhaesebrouck, K. 2023
This Element describes the development of an affective economy of violence in the early modern Dutch Republic through the circulation of images. The Element outlines that while violence became more... Show moreThis Element describes the development of an affective economy of violence in the early modern Dutch Republic through the circulation of images. The Element outlines that while violence became more controlled in the course of the 17th century, with fewer public executions for instance, the realm of cultural representation was filled with violent imagery: from prints, atlases and paintings, through theatres and public spectacles, to peep boxes. It shows how emotions were evoked, exploited, and controlled in this affective economy of violence based on desires, interests and exploitation. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core. Show less
This book presents the transcriptions and annotated translations of fifteen key historical documents concerning the Tapuia indigenous people written just before and during the Dutch occupation of... Show moreThis book presents the transcriptions and annotated translations of fifteen key historical documents concerning the Tapuia indigenous people written just before and during the Dutch occupation of northeastern Brazil. The selected documents vary widely in type, including letters, descriptions, reports, first-person declarations, diaries, and transcripts of interrogations, thereby showcasing different perspectives and audiences. Some of the documents were authored by European writers, while others register indigenous voices somewhat more directly in the form of interviews or declarations.These texts provide important first-hand information about the Tapuia and other indigenous peoples during the Dutch conquest, revealing their cultural practices and knowledge while also detailing their strategic engagements with each other and with different European colonizers. Show less
Discrimination is still not sufficiently addressed within liberal democracies. Often only some groups are protected against discrimination and merely in certain situations. This leaves many who... Show moreDiscrimination is still not sufficiently addressed within liberal democracies. Often only some groups are protected against discrimination and merely in certain situations. This leaves many who suffer because of discrimination without recourse. And that is only one of the dilemmas with group-based approaches to the protection against discrimination. So why are these approaches so common? And can we find a viable alternative?In this new book, legal scholar Erwin Dijkstra answers these questions. His analysis is thorough, original, and thought-provoking. This makes Discrimination and the Foundation of Justice indispensable for anyone who seeks a better understanding of discrimination law, the relevant human rights context, and the debate on improving the protection against discrimination. That debate is brought to life through a thoughtful discussion of hotly debated topics like hate speech, affirmative action, and institutions that speak out against discrimination.As discrimination concerns us all, this book was written as a resource for all. It is meant to be read by those studying discrimination law professionally and the broader public alike. Show less
This biography of Baginda Dahlan Abdoellah opens access to a life story that was almost forgotten, superseded as it was by later and more lasting developments. Dahlan Abdoellah, from West Sumatra,... Show moreThis biography of Baginda Dahlan Abdoellah opens access to a life story that was almost forgotten, superseded as it was by later and more lasting developments. Dahlan Abdoellah, from West Sumatra, went to study at a Sekolah Guru in the Netherlands in 1913, together with Tan Malaka. He was involved in radical actions as a board member of the Perhimpunan Hindia in 1918, the first time Indonesian independence was publicly articulated. After assisting Prof. Van Ronkel in teaching Malay at Universiteit Leiden, he remained a counsellor of the Perhimpunan Indonesia, when it, during the twenties, under the leadership of Mohammad Hatta, turned to a radical course, opposing the Dutch colonial rulers. When back in Indonesia in 1924 Dahlan Abdullah remained a fierce proponent of Indonesian independence, until he, as the Ambassador of the United Republic of Indonesia (RIS), died in 1950. He was active in Parindra and member of the Jakarta local council, even te become a mayor. Suryadi has done a wonderful job, first to collect all kinds of unknown sources on Dahlan Abdoellah, and then organizing his biography to establish Dahlan Abdoellah as a true perintis and pahlawan kemerdekaan Indonesia. Specific mention must be made of the translation in Indonesian of the journal he published in a Dutch newspaper (De Telegraaf) on his ziarah ke Mekah – a rare and valuable source. Show less
Libertatis Ergo Holding is de plek waar activiteiten van de Leidse universiteit samenkomen, die niet uit overheidsgeld betaald kunnen worden, die gescheiden moeten blijven van de publieke... Show moreLibertatis Ergo Holding is de plek waar activiteiten van de Leidse universiteit samenkomen, die niet uit overheidsgeld betaald kunnen worden, die gescheiden moeten blijven van de publieke financiering, en die soms extra geld voor de universiteit kunnen opleveren. Er zitten hele bedrijven in en stukjes eigendom over bedrijven; er zitten mogelijkheden in om leningen en hulp te geven aan startende bedrijfjes; er zitten octrooien in die zorgen dat buitenstaanders niet met ideeën van de universiteit en haar medewerkers aan de haal kunnen gaan. Ook zitten er licenties in, afspraken met bedrijven die geld willen verdienen met Leidse ideeën. Kortom: Libertatis Ergo Holding is een plek waar de wetenschap en de commerciële wereld in elkaar grijpen, een plek waar de universiteit geld in de markt stopt en er ook uit haalt. Voor de universiteit is het een hulpmiddel om te bevorderen dat haar kennis de weg naar de samenleving weet te vinden in de vorm van producten en diensten. Show less
This report from the SNS Democracy Council provides a thorough assessment of whether the current system of global governance is fit for purpose. Do current international organizations hold the... Show moreThis report from the SNS Democracy Council provides a thorough assessment of whether the current system of global governance is fit for purpose. Do current international organizations hold the power required to develop, implement, and enforce global policies? Do these institutions wield this power with sufficient effectiveness to reduce transboundary problems? And do they possess legitimacy as governing bodies in the eyes of citizens and elites? This report explores these themes in a comparative perspective, mapping and analyzing patterns across a broad range of international organizations in areas such as development, finance, health, human rights, security, and trade. As an illustration, the report also offers an in-depth analysis of power, effectiveness, and legitimacy in respect of global climate governance. Show less
