Based on a corpus of intelligence documents in the archives of the Dutch West India Company, this study looks at the spread and impact of rumors during the revolt in Dutch Brazil in 1645 and the...Show moreBased on a corpus of intelligence documents in the archives of the Dutch West India Company, this study looks at the spread and impact of rumors during the revolt in Dutch Brazil in 1645 and the following nine years of war. This study traces the problems colonial administrators, soldiers, settlers and slaves faced in making grave decisions based on imperfect and potentially false information. The rumor-laden nature of Pernambuco's oral communication sphere, this thesis argues, contributed decisively to the outbreak of the revolt in 1645 and continued to have an impact on the course of the war, most notably in inciting people to switch sides.Show less
In 1698 Governor Gerrit de Heere travelled around the island of Sri Lanka on an inspection tour. By studying this journal and the cartographic material by Jan Christiaanz. Toorzee included therein...Show moreIn 1698 Governor Gerrit de Heere travelled around the island of Sri Lanka on an inspection tour. By studying this journal and the cartographic material by Jan Christiaanz. Toorzee included therein the author argues that the late seventeenth century Ceylon office of the VOC pursued a policy focused on mercantile efforts rather than state-building, as was done before this period and after it. By using the cartographic material in the journal as an integral part of the text rather than a decorative element, new innovative insights are gained in the analysis of this period.Show less
