Colonial governance in the Dutch East Indies revived after Johannes van den Bosch launched the infamous cultivation system on Java in 1830. Portrayed as the Dutch pinnacle of colonial exploitation,...Show moreColonial governance in the Dutch East Indies revived after Johannes van den Bosch launched the infamous cultivation system on Java in 1830. Portrayed as the Dutch pinnacle of colonial exploitation, this system has been the topic of heated scholarly and non-scholarly debates. But apart from a system of colonial agricultural production, it also posed a framework for colonial governance. Crucial in this framework was the collaboration of the Javanese administrative elite with the Dutch. This thesis examines the relation between the Dutch local authorities and the indigenous rulers on Java in the early 1830s. An in-depth investigation of power-division and political games in the residencies (the provincial units of colonial control), it analyzes the techniques and tricks the Dutch and Javanese used to cope with each other. Daily practice of colonial governance seemed not to have been motivated really by any centrally organized ideology, but by the personal skills and experiences of the Dutch officials, and their ability to make use of the traditional power of the Javanese rulers. Describing a system of men rather than rules or laws, this thesis attempts to showcase the paradoxical character of Dutch colonial rule in practice, to stress that in colonial Southeast-Asia it were not merely the colonizers who constructed the colony.Show less
The thesis analyzes the role of memories of past emigrations within the context of discourses on immigration, integration and citizenship policy-making in Spain from 1980 to 2010. It contends that...Show moreThe thesis analyzes the role of memories of past emigrations within the context of discourses on immigration, integration and citizenship policy-making in Spain from 1980 to 2010. It contends that these memories were a crucial part of the discourse of policy-makers in the process of the transition of Spain from being a country of emigration to being an immigrant-receiving society. The thesis analyzes in depth how memories are employed by different sides of the political spectrum in different manners to cater to different political aims. From this empirical analysis it seeks to draw a theoretical understanding of the role of collective memories of emigration in the context of a country's migrational transition.Show less
This thesis looks at changes in landholding patterns in the age of Sulla. While most studies on landholding patterns focus on the second century B.C., the author argues that the first century B.C....Show moreThis thesis looks at changes in landholding patterns in the age of Sulla. While most studies on landholding patterns focus on the second century B.C., the author argues that the first century B.C. is deserving of more scholarly attention since many big changes occur in this period. The author discusses Sulla’s colonization programme and the proscriptions in order to determine the effect of these measures on landholding patterns in Italy. Specifically, this thesis seeks to help illuminate the reasons behind the veritable explosion of villa-buildings after the age of Sulla. This study offers up a reassessment of the colonization programme and argues that the programme was conducted on a much smaller scale than is often thought. The overall impact of the programme is also far less significant than often assumed. It is argued that the proscriptions had a far larger impact on landholding patterns. The author argues that it was the proscriptions, and not the colonization programme, that is likely to have led to an increase in villa-buildings.Show less
Pieter Albert Bik (1798-1855), a Dutch colonial official, left behind an unpublished manuscript detailing his travels during his career both in Asia, especially in Japan and the Dutch East Indies,...Show morePieter Albert Bik (1798-1855), a Dutch colonial official, left behind an unpublished manuscript detailing his travels during his career both in Asia, especially in Japan and the Dutch East Indies, and in Europe, notably along the Rhine. A close examination of the manuscript suggests that Bik's interpretation of his travel experiences in Europe and overseas were remarkably similar, and that both were influenced by the burgeoning phenomenon of European tourism that was taking root along the Rhine at the time. A close reading of this source, and a brief comparative analysis, show that tourism indeed influenced the discourse of colonial travel much earlier than has so far been acknowledged. An examination of this influence calls to question several conventional presumptions of colonial history, and draws attention to a thus far seldom recognised character: the early colonial leisurely tourist. This analysis, however, requires - apart from primary research - a synthesis of the academic literatures on colonial travel on the one hand, and European tourist culture on the other.Show less
In this thesis an analysis is made of the British parliamentary debates on European integration in the period from 1957 to 1975. This is done in order to better understand the role of identity...Show moreIn this thesis an analysis is made of the British parliamentary debates on European integration in the period from 1957 to 1975. This is done in order to better understand the role of identity narratives in political debates in general and specifically the role of conceptions of and narratives on British national identity in these parliamentary debates on European integration. During this period the United Kingdom first left the initiative to create an EEC, only to apply for membership three years later in 1961. After two failed applications the UK became a member state in 1973, which received direct popular support through the 1975 ‘in-or-out’-referendum after the Wilson government had renegotiated the terms. In this thesis it is argued that national identity narratives actively shaped political opinion in these years and thus the political process as well. Political, economic and other types of arguments were deliberately linked to and intertwined with identity narratives with the goal of generating political effect. By means of this research and its results this study seeks to add to the historiography on Britain and the European integration process, which had been lacking both in research focusing on political debate as well as in research on the role of identity narratives therein.Show less
The thesis deals with the political decisions of three members of the British labour movement in the period 1911-1923: John Maclean, Will Thorne and Ben Tillett. In particular, whether and why they...Show moreThe thesis deals with the political decisions of three members of the British labour movement in the period 1911-1923: John Maclean, Will Thorne and Ben Tillett. In particular, whether and why they chose to accept the existing British political structures during those years. The focus is on the constant re-assessment of the value of those institutions in times of crisis, and on which types of motivations played a part in the decisions that resulted from those perceptions and interpretations. The conclusion is that this constant re-assessment of their attitudes serves as a better overall explanation of the Labour Party's course during these years than ideological, structural or individual explanations - or at least adds to those.Show less
Food and eating habits are good indicators of wider social changes and appetite for multi-ethnic eating can be perceived as one step forward to accepting and understanding the meaning of diversity....Show moreFood and eating habits are good indicators of wider social changes and appetite for multi-ethnic eating can be perceived as one step forward to accepting and understanding the meaning of diversity. In migration studies, the socio-historical analysis of the relationship between migrants and food practices provides a fresh perspective on the cultural encounters between communities. The aim of my research is to explore the private space of the Dutch eating habits and the more or less successful integration of foreign kitchens. In detail, this paper looks at how and to what extent have foreign cuisines, especially the Indonesian and Moroccan, affected the Dutch eating culture from 1950 until 2000. The results show trends of appropriation of culinary knowledge and adoption of culinary authenticity.Show less
This thesis undertakes a comparative analysis of the Roman Empire during the third-century 'crisis' (AD 249-284) on the one hand and the tetrarchic era (AD 284-324) on the other hand. As an...Show moreThis thesis undertakes a comparative analysis of the Roman Empire during the third-century 'crisis' (AD 249-284) on the one hand and the tetrarchic era (AD 284-324) on the other hand. As an analysis of the Roman Empire in all its aspects is obviously not feasible, the thesis limits itself to the three most important ones: first, Rome's wars against its external enemies; second, the internal instability that plagued the empire throughout this period; third, the empire's economic difficulties. After a short narrative chapter which serves to give a general chronological outline and introduce the key players, each of the three aspects is thouroughly discussed in its own thematic chapter. An important theme of the thesis is comparative historiography, which shows how there remains general agreement among historians that the tetrarchic era represents a significant improvement in the fortunes of the empire compared to the 'crisis' that preceded it. The thesis argues that, contrary to the general consensus, the tetrarchy only improved on the 'crisis' in some regards, while it did no better, and arguably even worse, on other points.Show less
De slag bij de Somme, die werd uitgevochten tussen 1 juli en 18 november 1916, wordt tegenwoordig herinnerd als een zinloze slachting en een gruwelijk mislukking. Dit is niet onlogisch, de...Show moreDe slag bij de Somme, die werd uitgevochten tussen 1 juli en 18 november 1916, wordt tegenwoordig herinnerd als een zinloze slachting en een gruwelijk mislukking. Dit is niet onlogisch, de verliezen die aan beide kanten waren enorm en de strategische resultaten voor de aanvallers, Groot-Brittannië en Frankrijk, waren beperkt. Toch is het opvallend dat er tegenwoordig aan geallieerde zijde een uitgesproken negatief beeld van de Eerste Wereldoorlog bestaat, want uiteindelijk waren de geallieerden toch de overwinnaars. In deze studie wordt er gezocht naar de oorsprong van het uitzonderlijk negatieve en duistere beeld van de slag bij de Somme. Hiervoor wordt deze negatieve beeldvorming vergeleken met persbeschrijvingen van de slag in Nederlandse dagbladen en tijdschriften. Deze studie laat dus ook zien wat het publiek in het neutrale Nederlands van 1916 te weten kon komen over de strijd in de loopgraven die op slechts enkele honderden kilometers van de Nederlandse grens werd uitgevochten.Show less
What is war to whom? The troops roaming on Java in the late seventeenth century were of all shapes and colours. Some came from Sulawesi, some from Madura; some were religious others acquisitive....Show moreWhat is war to whom? The troops roaming on Java in the late seventeenth century were of all shapes and colours. Some came from Sulawesi, some from Madura; some were religious others acquisitive. Usually they operated in small units known as war-bands led by a warlord. Despite the differences between these war-bands, many of them did gather and fight under a single banner. Often they hurdled behind overlords -sunans or sultans- who were in need for additional brawn; a competitive market of martial supply and demand resulted. The king with the most men usually won. Even the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was part of this market and relied on indigenous patrol. In 1677, the Company decided to support the Central Javanese realm called Mataram and thus landed in a diplomatic struggle for troops. This thesis wonders how VOC men reported on these warriors and what clues are given of a Javanese military labour market at odds with the European one. The Dutch commanders would soon find out drawing in allies was as important as winning battles; the extent to which they could enter the networks of warlords and rulers thereby determined much of their victory. This thesis tells how far they did in the two chaotic and bloody years of 1677 and 1678.Show less
‘The Great Forgetting’ is about the process of consolidation of French republicanism in the early, formative years of the French Third Republic and the regime’s accordant search for the republic’s...Show more‘The Great Forgetting’ is about the process of consolidation of French republicanism in the early, formative years of the French Third Republic and the regime’s accordant search for the republic’s legitimacy in the aftermath of l’année terrible - the year of 1871, during which France had to deal with the loss of the Franco-Prussian war, the fall of the Second Empire, the creation of the Third Republic, the siege of Paris by the Prussians, the defeat and humiliating peace terms, the Paris Commune, and new ideas about the nation. This process can otherwise be described as the creation of a history and accordant commemorative tradition of a Republic by its government that had to account for its legitimacy in the aftermath of a violent past. The whole will be analysed by considering the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris as a locus for national symbolism of the French Third Republic. This thesis argues that the cemetery can be considered as a stage for performing politics used by the governments of the Third Republic and its abovementioned opponents as a place to create their definition of France from 26 March 1871 onward. While describing this mnemonic battle on Père-Lachaise about the place of l’année terrible in the history of the Third Republic, this thesis analyses why it was that a ‘Communard memory’ of this period prevailed over any other constructed collective memory in relation to issues of legitimacy of and in the early Third Republic.Show less
Between 1945 and 2001 possibilities for homosexual men to move to the Netherlands improved considerably. This thesis examines how and why this development took place. In 1967 for the first time men...Show moreBetween 1945 and 2001 possibilities for homosexual men to move to the Netherlands improved considerably. This thesis examines how and why this development took place. In 1967 for the first time men were allowed to stay in the Netherlands officially, despite their sexuality. From 1974 partner migration became possible, allowing the foreign partner to stay 'because' of his sexuality. In 1981 the Netherlands was the first country that allowed asylum seekers to be granted refugee status on the basis of their sexuality. Main reasons for this change are the secularisation of the Netherlands, a liberalisation of family law, progressive politics in the 1970s because of the social (and sexual) revolutions in the 1960s. Also very important was the emergence of the gay emancipation movement in the Netherlands which became politically active in the 1970s. Nevertheless, implementation of these novel opportunities to settle in the Netherlands proved more difficult. Local police forces applied their own moral judgments on immigrants and it took until the 1990s before a homosexual asylum seeker was granted refugee status for his sexuality. This thesis therefore argues that the Netherlands wanted to show abroad how progressive its policies were, while practically, the results of the policies were not so progressive at all. Nevertheless, the Netherlands became to be known abroad as a safe haven for homosexual men. This was an image that the Dutch government tried to avoid in the 1960s, while it embraced the image in the 1990s. This thesis adds to the debate of policy change, as well as to the debate around the difference between policy and practice, taking immigration of homosexual men as a case study.Show less
