Leiden University Student Repository

Nugteren, Bastiaan (2016)

The Impossible Colonial Border: Chinese migration and immigration policies in the Netherlands East Indies, 1880-1912

Research master thesis | History (research) (MA)

This research analyzes the Dutch reactions in the Netherlands East Indies to the growing amount of Chinese migrants entering the colony in the period 1880-1912. Through a focus on immigration policies, public opinion in Indies newspapers, fingerprinting policies, diplomacy with China, consular representation and discussions on nationality, this research explains why the Netherlands East Indies as a colonial state could not close its borders for Chinese migrants, even when considering anti-Chinese immigration policies were a global phenomenon in this period. As this research shows, both the specific nature of the Dutch colonial state and the increasing diplomatic pressure from China were important factors in how Dutch immigration policies were shaped.

Colonialism

Netherlands East Indies

Chinese Migration

Immigration

Borders

Dutch East Indies

Chinese history

Overseas Chinese

Southeast-Asia

Fingerprinting

Author

Nugteren, Bastiaan

Note

Sources gathered for this research originate from both the colonial archives in the National Archives in The Hague and the Arsip Nasional in Jakarta. This thesis has been graded with an 8.5/10.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Colonial and Global History

Supervisors

Schrikker, Alicia

ECTS Credits

40

Language

en