During the 1620s the VOC established a presence on the island of Taiwan, then called Formosa. Research on this colony has mostly focussed on the later decades and its dramatic loss at the hand of a...Show moreDuring the 1620s the VOC established a presence on the island of Taiwan, then called Formosa. Research on this colony has mostly focussed on the later decades and its dramatic loss at the hand of a Chinese warlord in 1662. This thesis examines those early years through the construction of Fort Zeelandia, the colony’s administrative capital. This was a slow process, in places equally as dramatic as the colony’s downfall, which shows us that the advantages that allegedly fuelled European expansion could often be ill-suited to the colonial environment.Show less
This thesis concerns the transfer of firearms technology from the Dutch East India Company to Siam at the end of the seventeenth century. It shows that the transfer of both weapons and of experts...Show moreThis thesis concerns the transfer of firearms technology from the Dutch East India Company to Siam at the end of the seventeenth century. It shows that the transfer of both weapons and of experts with skills related to firearms were organised through diplomatic exchange and gift giving. Changes in this transfer were mainly shaped by the Siamese, although they were unable to force the Dutch to fulfill all their wishes.Show less
South Korea had started the official commemoration of certain parts of the Japanese occupation period as early as 1949, four year after the liberation of 1945. While certain parts of the occupation...Show moreSouth Korea had started the official commemoration of certain parts of the Japanese occupation period as early as 1949, four year after the liberation of 1945. While certain parts of the occupation period are commemorated, others are left out. In order to gain insight with regard to how the topic of the occupation period is generally portrayed in South Korea, the author has researched how the Japanese occupation period is presented in South Korean museums specifically by using three case studies: the Seoul Museum of History, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and Seodaemun Prison History Hall. Within these museums the author specifically focused on the information panels that these museums displayed in their exhibitions, as well as information presented in the museums’ brochures and official websites. In examining these three collections, with a specific focus on the display of ‘text’, the author attempts to answer the question: “What can the portrayal of texts included in museum exhibitions on the occupation period teach us about the way this period is presented in South Korea?”Show less
