In the centenary year of the Republic of Turkey, there is a need for a new approach to history writing. The crisis that the AKP regime has dragged Turkey into has demonstrated the necessity of... Show moreIn the centenary year of the Republic of Turkey, there is a need for a new approach to history writing. The crisis that the AKP regime has dragged Turkey into has demonstrated the necessity of reevaluating post-Kemalist revisionism in Turkish Studies. The transitional period from the Empire to the Republic is a field dominated by post-Kemalist literature. This article aims to reevaluate the impact of post-Kemalist literature on historiography, particularly by revisiting commonly accepted assumptions and interpretations regarding the “Young Turk” Committee of Union and Progress. While post-Kemalist approaches, which have made significant contributions to the studies of identity and minority issues, have confronted the dark legacy left by the Young Turks on the Republic, attributing all the dark events in the history of the Republic solely to a Unionist curse can lead to flawed historical interpretations. First, in post-Kemalist literature, it is problematic to distort the continuity thesis from Unionism to Kemalism into a thesis of singularity and immutability. In fact, there lies a transformative process shaped by competition and conflicts beneath continuity. Second, although many post-Kemalist approaches exhibit a critical stance towards Turkish nationalism, they inadvertently strengthen a narrative of Turkism by falling into the trap of methodological nationalism. Instead of solely viewing the empire as a precursor to a future nation-state, it is necessary to examine it within its own context and timeframe. Understanding the diversity, variability, and relationality of nationalism, without neglecting the complexity of historical processes, requires analyzing it not as the cause or result, but as an influential factor. The issue of Young Turks will remain a subject of controversy in the second century of the Republic’s history because the Young Turks assumed simultaneously the dual roles of destroyers/perpetrators and founders/protectors during the transition from the Empire to the Republic. These two analytical dimensions should neither be considered separately nor contradictory. Show less
This thesis researches how and why the UNESCO sponsored General History of Africa (1964-1998) sought to Africanise and decolonise the writing of African history in the wake of the political... Show moreThis thesis researches how and why the UNESCO sponsored General History of Africa (1964-1998) sought to Africanise and decolonise the writing of African history in the wake of the political independence of many West and East African countries in the early 1960s. It provides a case-study on the practice of African historiography in the second half of the twentieth century. The thesis investigates how formulated ideals of a decolonisation were translated into practice and analyses what this might tell us about the establishment of African history within the humanities and the history of decolonising knowledge production. The study is divided in three parts: the first part concerns the formulated ideals of African history as they came into being in opposition to eurocentrism during the 1960s and early 1970s. Part two shifts the focus to the realities of the ideals discussed in part one. How did the historians of the GHA try to bring their ideals into practice and what came of them during the long process of drafting the GHA? The third and final part of the thesis focuses on the reception and retrospective perception of the project in its final years and after it was finished. Show less
This volume investigates the development of biographical study in African history and historiography. Consisting of 10 case studies, it is preceded by an introductory prologue, which deals with the... Show moreThis volume investigates the development of biographical study in African history and historiography. Consisting of 10 case studies, it is preceded by an introductory prologue, which deals with the relationship between historiography and different forms of biographical study in the context of Western history-writing but especially African (historical and anthropological) studies. The first three case studies deal with the methodological insights of biographical studies for African history. This is followed by three case studies dealing with personas living through fundamental societal transitions, and four case studies focusing on the discursive dimensions of biographical subjects (including religion, cosmology and ideology). Countries or regions discussed include South Africa, Zambia, Gold Coast, Cameroon, Tanganyika, Congo-Kinshasa and the Central African Republic in colonial times. Show less
In Luganda, the widest spoken minority language in Uganda, the word for photographs is 'ebifananyi'. However, 'ebifananyi' does not, contrary to the etymology of the word photographs, relate to... Show moreIn Luganda, the widest spoken minority language in Uganda, the word for photographs is 'ebifananyi'. However, 'ebifananyi' does not, contrary to the etymology of the word photographs, relate to light writings. 'Ebifananyi' instead means things that look like something else. 'Ebifananyi' are likenesses. My research project explores the historical context of this particular conceptualisation of photographs and its consequences for present day visual culture in Uganda. It also discusses my artistic practice as research method, which led to the digitisation of numerous historical collections of photographs. This resulted in eight books and in exhibitions that took place in Uganda and in Europe. The research was conducted in collaboration with both human and non-human actors. These actors included photographs, their owners, Ugandan picture makers and visitors to the exhibitions that were organised in Uganda and Western Europe. This methodology led to insights into differences in the production and uses of, and into meanings given to, photographs in both Ugandan and Dutch contexts. Understanding differences between ebifananyi and photographs shapes the communication about photographs between Luganda and English speakers. Reflection on the conceptualisations languages offer for objects and for sensible aspects of the surrounding world helps prevent misunderstandings in communication in general. Show less
Oil is mostly seen as a natural resource and not as a commodity, the production of which involves organisation of social relations of production. This study maps this tightly woven relations... Show moreOil is mostly seen as a natural resource and not as a commodity, the production of which involves organisation of social relations of production. This study maps this tightly woven relations between the workers, the oil company(ies) and the state in the Iranian oil industry focusing on the period between 1951 and 1973, when the management of oil was completely transferred to the National Iranian Oil Company. Through an archival study, the 1951 nationalisation of oil, the organization of labour relations in the industry, the working and living conditions of the workers, and labour activism in the period is scrutinized. The various social class positions oil employees occupied and the specific relation the industry had with the state and thus embeddedness of the economy in social relations is discussed. Show less
This dissertation provides an in-depth study of the Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order, also known as the 'Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik'. It examines the circulation of (historical)... Show moreThis dissertation provides an in-depth study of the Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order, also known as the 'Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik'. It examines the circulation of (historical) knowledge within the Teutonic Order at the end of the fifteenth century. Only decades earlier, the order suffered major defeats in Prussia and its former heathen enemies had become Christians. It has been the underlying aim of this study to gain an understanding of the introduction of the order’s tradition of history writing to the Low Countries, far removed from the traditional production centres in Prussia and Livonia, as well as the effects this change of location, and accompanying change of perspective had on the content and purpose of such historical production within the order. It has become clear that the chronicle was written in Utrecht, in various phases from 1480 to 1491 and possibly the mid-1490s, by the Utrecht land commander Johan van Drongelen and his personal secretary. The material product of their collaboration is a manuscript kept in Vienna, which can now be classified as an author’s copy. Furthermore, the author(s) managed to collect a wide selection of sources – including from locations hundreds of kilometres away from the city of Utrecht. Show less
This dissertation deals with the tabooing of names in China, or bihui 避諱. The names of sovereigns, ancestors, officials, teachers, etc. were taboo, meaning that it was prohibited to pronounce or... Show moreThis dissertation deals with the tabooing of names in China, or bihui 避諱. The names of sovereigns, ancestors, officials, teachers, etc. were taboo, meaning that it was prohibited to pronounce or record them. This custom had an enormous impact on Chinese culture and serious consequences for the daily lives of many Chinese, as well as for Chinese historiography. Show less
This study examines the ‘descriptions of cities’ or ‘urban historical topographies’ that were published in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. Its questions are: What are the conceptual... Show moreThis study examines the ‘descriptions of cities’ or ‘urban historical topographies’ that were published in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. Its questions are: What are the conceptual foundations of the genre? What are the underlying principles that determine the topics that the authors choose and how they approached them? In the chapter-length introduction the genre is defined and an overview is given of the urban topographies published before 1700, situating them in their political and social context. Aspects of production and reception, belonging to the field of book history, are also discussed. An answer to the study’s main questions is attempted in six chapters. Chapters 2-5 discuss the four most important disciplines that influenced the genre: chorography, encomiastic literature, travel methods, and antiquarian research. Two concluding chapters present two case studies, focussing on the cities of Delft and Leiden in the province of Holland. The first shows how these disciplines converged in urban historical topographies. The second situates them in an international context. Show less
My dissertation argues that Chinese scholars of the 1920s and '30s (re)interpreted the traditions of Chinese art in order to build a modern field of Chinese art history. These scholars faced with... Show moreMy dissertation argues that Chinese scholars of the 1920s and '30s (re)interpreted the traditions of Chinese art in order to build a modern field of Chinese art history. These scholars faced with challenges such as China's internal needs to develop, her indirect and direct encounters with Western art and Western ideas, and the influence of modern Japanese scholarship to write art history for a modern nation. This dissertation deals with published art historical texts and a few practices relating to art exhibitions in early twentieth century China. It focuses on a list of writers who have not been well-studied in English or any other European language before. It fills the gap to understand Chinese art and Chinese art circles of the early twentieth century. And it helps to draw attention to the turning point of Chinese art in the history. Show less
orms of representation and imagination of communities in the Indonesian audio-visual mediascape, and addresses the impact of discourses and film mediation practices on the production of collective... Show moreorms of representation and imagination of communities in the Indonesian audio-visual mediascape, and addresses the impact of discourses and film mediation practices on the production of collective identities and social realities. The account ranges from discourses on idealized Indonesian identities in television and film discourses under President Soeharto’s New Order regime, to a topsy-turvy heated debate about the representation of the Indonesian nation and the social and daily-lived realities of the people in film and on television during the era of Reform, up to 2007 Show less
In the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These... Show moreIn the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These stereotypes had come into existence during the many wars with the Burgundian and Habsburg princes, who wanted to conquer the duchy. Some Guelders historians, however, used these negative stereotypes in order to create a positive image of their compatriots: they described the people of Guelders as natural, brave, and as lovers of freedom. According to them, these labels were the essence of the Guelders identity. In Gelre. Dynastie, land en identiteit Aart Noordzij describes the development of a political identity in Guelders between 1100 and 1600. He does this by analyzing the interaction between political processes, state-formation and the shaping of identities. Successively, the formation of the dynasty, the structure of the territory, and the imagination of the dynasty, the territory, and its inhabitants pass in review. By reconstructing the interaction between political processes, imagination, and the shaping of identities, we can understand how a political community like Guelders, notwithstanding its complexity and lack of unity, could exist, function, and get coherence. Show less
History in its various forms - chronicles, biographies and biographical dictionaries - was a favourite genre in late medieval Egypt and Syria. One of the salient features of these histories is... Show moreHistory in its various forms - chronicles, biographies and biographical dictionaries - was a favourite genre in late medieval Egypt and Syria. One of the salient features of these histories is their breadth of perspective. Matters related to community and urban life including market prices, fires, murders, epidemics, floods and social relations were considered worthy of record. The writers were profoundly interested in the events of their times rather than in classical Islamic history. In the absence of archives, these histories remain our widest windows on medieval Egypt and Syria. Show less
This thesis is an investigation into the formation of plural identities in the first half of the Koryŏ dynasty (918-1392). It focuses on processes of identity formation with both domestic and... Show moreThis thesis is an investigation into the formation of plural identities in the first half of the Koryŏ dynasty (918-1392). It focuses on processes of identity formation with both domestic and international reference. The Koryŏ dynasty was a rather extraordinary society, in which several important systems of belief and thought co-existed, but were not assimilated into each other. Koryo literati possessed a seldom encountered capacity for tolerating ambiguity, inconsistency and contradiction, while nonetheless displaying a distinctive sense of identity. The tolerance, even preference for ambiguity ensured in the long run the survival of the Koryo state amidst its powerful neighbours in China and Manchuria. This thesis concludes that despite the majority opinion in modern historiography Koryŏ was not either Confucian or Buddhist or nativist, but a mixture of all these systems and a good many more. The Koryŏ state and society were thoroughly pluralist, that is, geared to provide to the maximum of different, sometimes contradictory principles, instead of one ultimate principle. The thesis also concludes that pre-modern forms of community construction and the generation of feelings of belonging were not significantly different from their modern counterparts. Show less
