Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876-1956) was een vooraanstaand Duits beroepsmilitair in het Duitse Keizerrijk, de Weimarrepubliek en Nazi-Duitsland. Aan het einde van een lange carrière werd hij in 1940...Show moreWilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876-1956) was een vooraanstaand Duits beroepsmilitair in het Duitse Keizerrijk, de Weimarrepubliek en Nazi-Duitsland. Aan het einde van een lange carrière werd hij in 1940 door Hitler benoemd in de hoogste militaire rang, die van generaal veldmaarschalk. Aan het begin van zijn carrière nam hij deel aan het Oost-Aziatische Expeditiekorps dat in 1900 naar China werd gestuurd om daar de Bokseropstand neer te slaan. Tijdens die expeditie hield hij een dagboek bij en liet een fotoalbum na. Dit dagboek en fotoalbum staan centraal in deze scriptie. De scriptie richt zich op twee onderwerpen: ten eerste de motieven van von Leeb om deel te nemen aan het Oost-Aziatische Expeditiekorps en ten tweede zijn beeld van China en de Chinezen. De persoonlijke motieven en opvattingen van von Leeb worden afgezet tegen de geopolitieke achtergrond van het conflict, de heersende denkbeelden over China en de Chinezen in Duitsland rond 1900 en vergelijkbare egodocumenten van andere Duitse soldaten. Op die manier wordt duidelijk in hoeverre Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb past binnen de gangbare ideeën van zijn tijd.Show less
This thesis explores the relationship between the Khojas, the Aga Khan and the British on the island of Zanzibar during the period 1899-1912 on the basis of a dispute between the Isma'ili Khoja...Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between the Khojas, the Aga Khan and the British on the island of Zanzibar during the period 1899-1912 on the basis of a dispute between the Isma'ili Khoja community and the British authorities on the island regarding the Mnazi Moja grounds. This micro-history demonstrates the dual position of the Aga Khan as a religious leader as well as a British political informant.Show less
Before Tokugawa Bakufu collapsed in the 1868, the Dutch was the only European officially permitted by both Tokugawa Japan and Qing China to establish a trading post and settlement in their most...Show moreBefore Tokugawa Bakufu collapsed in the 1868, the Dutch was the only European officially permitted by both Tokugawa Japan and Qing China to establish a trading post and settlement in their most important maritime trading centre: Nagasaki and Canton. Under a series of restrictions implemented by the local authority over maritime trade with foreign countries and interactions between the Europeans and local inhabitants, merely a little amount of local civilians had the opportunity to interact with the Dutch. There were both officially permitted and secretly conducted interactions between the Dutch and local inhabitants in the two cities. The aim of this paper is to explore these seemingly minor and unimportant interactions between the two parties, with three groups of local inhabitants in Nagasaki and Canton, namely boatmen, interpreters, and women being the main focus. In doing so, we will see how both the Dutch and local inhabitants in these two East Asian cities managed to fulfil their needs and benefit from each other under restrictions of the authority and the state power.Show less
This thesis at one level examines how and why were the European doctors as ‘outsiders’ able to make an impression on the aristocratic elites in the Mughal court? And at another level, it...Show moreThis thesis at one level examines how and why were the European doctors as ‘outsiders’ able to make an impression on the aristocratic elites in the Mughal court? And at another level, it investigates the direct relationship between cross-cultural medical favors and the advantages doctors gained by offering their services. Did such intercessions by doctors’ yield only the much-desired trade concessions like farmans to the trading companies in which these medical men were employed and represented as ambassadors in the courts or something more especially in terms of monetary gains such as money, an enviable position at the court or other benefits?Show less
Philosophers have long noted the striking similarities between the metaphysics in Hume's Treatise of Human Nature and certain aspects of Buddhist doctrine. More recently, Alison Gopnik (2009) has...Show morePhilosophers have long noted the striking similarities between the metaphysics in Hume's Treatise of Human Nature and certain aspects of Buddhist doctrine. More recently, Alison Gopnik (2009) has also claimed to have discovered a possible historical link between Hume and Buddhist thought. This study looks at both the philosophical parallels and the historical evidence, such as Gopnik's claims regarding Hume's interaction with the Jesuits of La Flèche, but also the influence of Pierre Bayle, as well as Hume's familiarity with Sextus Empiricus' Outlines of Pyrrhonism, a book from the 2nd century which may in turn have been influenced by early Buddhist ideas. Despite the significant philosophical parallels and the possibility of Buddhist influence on Hume, the study concludes that the evidence is too sparse, too weak, and too circumstantial to claim that Hume was influenced by Buddhism.Show less
The Dutch colonial government used film as propaganda to establish and showcase their colonial agenda while recording footage in the Dutch East Indies (current Indonesia) for almost half a century,...Show moreThe Dutch colonial government used film as propaganda to establish and showcase their colonial agenda while recording footage in the Dutch East Indies (current Indonesia) for almost half a century, especially during the Era of Revolution (1945-49). These propaganda films served two major purposes. Firstly, targeting domestic audiences (in the earlier period) they were a source of information about Dutch East Indies for Dutch citizens and researchers. They created a positive impression about the colony, to inspire missionaries, and to attract entrepreneurs to invest money in Dutch East Indies. Secondly, aiming both at national and international audiences (during the Era of Revolution and the decolonisation period) they helped justify Dutch presence in Indonesia presenting the Dutch as sympathetic and useful friends in war-torn conditions. Interestingly, not everyone agreed with the ideology of the Dutch colonial government. Joris Ivens (1898-1989) was one of the most famous and controversial Dutch film-makers in the Netherlands, who dared to swim against the tide. Ivens challenged the trends in Dutch propaganda films with his most renowned work Indonesia Calling! (released in 1946). This study throws light into the life and career of Joris Ivens. It also describes the difficulties faced by him because of his revolutionary activities. Mapping the role and motivation of Joris Ivens, who was a well-known communist and anti-colonial propagandist, is the major contribution of this thesis.Show less
Papuans, a designation to inhabitants of New Guinea, show up numerous time throughout history as slaves. This lead to the designation of New Guinea as 'victim societies'. But what does that mean?...Show morePapuans, a designation to inhabitants of New Guinea, show up numerous time throughout history as slaves. This lead to the designation of New Guinea as 'victim societies'. But what does that mean? And how did slavery contribute to the experience of living in New Guinea? In this thesis I answer these questions by looking at the historical pattern that enabled Papuan enslavement,looking at the societies with a history of entanglement with slavery and furthermore noting the strategies Papuans developed to deal with the historical pattern affecting them.Show less
The present study attempts to bring together the Mediterranean and the Dutch news communities by examining Mediterranean news in the Dutch press through Abraham Casteleyn's "Haarlemse Courant" in...Show moreThe present study attempts to bring together the Mediterranean and the Dutch news communities by examining Mediterranean news in the Dutch press through Abraham Casteleyn's "Haarlemse Courant" in the decade 1660-1669. Its main argument is that Mediterranean news suited the needs of seventeenth-century news publishers in an exceptional way: "longue durée" Mediterranean realities such as corsair activity along the North African Coast provided a seemingly never-ending flow of news stories which helped to nourish the nascent "periodicity" of the early modern publishing business.Show less
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...Show moreThis 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.Show less
This thesis aims to explore the position and role of Thailand during the Dutch-Indonesian conflict. The main research questions are: (1) How did the relations, both official and unofficial, between...Show moreThis thesis aims to explore the position and role of Thailand during the Dutch-Indonesian conflict. The main research questions are: (1) How did the relations, both official and unofficial, between Thailand and Indonesia develop during the Indonesian Revolution? And (2) why did the Thai-Indonesian relations develop in such ways? This thesis argues that Thailand took a hypocritically neutral stance during the Dutch-Indonesian conflict. Shortly before the conflict ended, Thailand, however, shifted to a pro-Indonesian stance.Show less
‘We shall uphold, the centuries-old tradition of the Dutch Navy, that has already been demonstrated in European waters, this now shall be in service of preserving our regions [in the Far East]’...Show more‘We shall uphold, the centuries-old tradition of the Dutch Navy, that has already been demonstrated in European waters, this now shall be in service of preserving our regions [in the Far East]’ Lieutenant-Admiral C.E.L. Helfrich, Commander in Chief of the Netherlands Indies forces, wrote on 9 December 1941 after the Dutch Minister of the Navy and the Commander in Chief of the Navy, J.Th. Furstner had wished him the best of luck in the conduct of war against Japan. In reaction to the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbour, Malacca and Singapore on 7 December 1941, the Netherlands government had declared itself at war with Japan because of hostile acts against ‘two powers with which the Netherlands entertains most friendly relations’. As early as 1912 the Dutch government had identified Japan as a potential threat to the Netherlands Indies. Therefore the Dutch had designed a fleet program to match the Japanese strength. During the mid-1930s Japan actively started conquering territories in the Far East in order to realize the New Order of Eastern Asia, a confederation of Pacific territories under Japanese leadership. From this point on, the Japanese conquest in Southeast Asia became a great threat to forces with interest in the region, including the United States and Britain, as well as the Dutch, as colonial rulers of the Indonesian archipelago. On the eve of the Second World War the Dutch defence potential was no match for the Japanese forces. Thus, the Dutch started looking for an alliance to withstand a possible conflict in the Pacific theatre with Japan. However, the Dutch had maintained to uphold a longstanding tradition of political neutrality since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and had even managed to stay out of the First World War because of this. But soon it became evident that the policy of neutrality would not keep the Dutch out of the Second World War. So the Dutch had to re-evaluate their position, in order to survive a future conflict. Whereas the upside of the Dutch policy of neutrality was that it had been able to avoid involvement in previous wars, the downside was that they were not prepared to actively take part in a war should one become inevitable. Eventually, after several official and unofficial conferences and talks with the allied parties in the Pacific, and more specifically after the shock of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941, a unified command, called ABDACOM was established on 28 December 1941. ABDACOM (American-British-Dutch-Australian Command) intended to fight the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia and to protect the British and the Dutch colonies in this region, as well as the Philippines and Australia. The efforts of ABDACOM to prevent Japan from taking over the Allied controlled territories in the Pacific failed. On 25 February 1942 ABDACOM was dissolved with disastrous consequences for the Allied presence in the Pacific. Two days later, on 27 February the Battle of the Java Sea resulted in a great loss for the Dutch fleet and the eventual loss of the Netherlands Indies. The efforts of the ‘unquenchable soldiers of the British Commonwealth’, ‘the men of MacArthur’ and the ‘band of “indomitable Dutch”, with their Indonesian comrades in arms’ failed to stop the Japanese aggression.Show less
Deze scriptie gaat over de persoonlijke ervaringen van militairen uit de Atjeh-oorlog. Als interpretatiekader is het onderzoek van de Israëlische historicus Yuval Noah Harari gebruikt. Eén van zijn...Show moreDeze scriptie gaat over de persoonlijke ervaringen van militairen uit de Atjeh-oorlog. Als interpretatiekader is het onderzoek van de Israëlische historicus Yuval Noah Harari gebruikt. Eén van zijn belangrijkste conclusies was dat militairen zich al ruim voor de Eerste Wereldoorlog bewust waren van de impact die een oorlog had op hun persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Om zijn ideeën te toetsen heeft deze scriptie gekeken naar de memoires van zes militairen die deelnamen aan de Atjeh-oorlog. Ten eerste is er gekeken welke ervaringen centraal staan in hun memoires. Vervolgens is bestudeerd hoe deze door de militairen zijn verwoord en hoe zij deze hebben beoordeeld.Show less
This thesis deals with the Dutch governmental plans for re-establishment of the Dutch colonial army in the Netherlands East Indies, the Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (KNIL) after the Second...Show moreThis thesis deals with the Dutch governmental plans for re-establishment of the Dutch colonial army in the Netherlands East Indies, the Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (KNIL) after the Second World War would have ended. These plans were made between 1942 and 1945, when Japan occupied the Netherlands East Indies. After the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, Dutch preparations turned out to be insufficient, because of the different expectations the Dutch government had about the possibilities of the colonial soldiers than what they were capable of in reality. These colonial soldiers, both Dutch, Indo-Dutch and Indonesian, had been captured and used as forced labourers by the Japanese during the war years. They were unable to fight against Indonesian nationalists and therefore the Dutch government was forced to also call other armed forces from the Netherlands to Asia. Several plans that were made during the Second World War were the establishment of the Mariniersbrigade (Marine Corps), recruitment of war volunteers and from 1946, a call for Dutch conscript soldiers was also made. Especially the period between 15 August 1945 and March 1946, when the British occupational forces allowed Dutch forces to re-enter the colony for the first time, is rarely investigated in historiography. This thesis fills in that gap, both in time and in topic.Show less
This thesis focuses on the period at the end of the nineteenth century when knowledge of the colonized cultures and their histories became an integral part of European imperial policies. In the...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the period at the end of the nineteenth century when knowledge of the colonized cultures and their histories became an integral part of European imperial policies. In the search for tools legitimizing their overseas venture, architecture turned out to be one of the most visual and lasting tools for boosting such efforts. It is precisely by exploring this aspect of empire-building through architecture that my thesis attempts to redress the lacunae of historical research on colonial architecture as a measure for studying colonial history. Conventional historiography has largely neglected this aspect of empire-building, leaving much of it for architects, urbanists and art historians to deal with. Most of the scholarly contributions to colonial architecture have not yet been able to sufficiently expose the underlying imperial designs or the socio-cultural processes behind such building projects. In this thesis, I have made attempts to trace these processes and examine them from a comparative perspective using Foucault’s power/knowledge dimension. By pitching the three former Asian colonies of British-India, Dutch-Indies and French-Indochina next to each other and analysing the hybrid architecture found in their main public buildings, the ways in which the colonial government tried to impress the people through their building styles can be revealed. They resorted to the incorporation of often randomly mixed local architectural elements into buildings which looked European otherwise. This resulted in buildings depicting hybrid architectural styles. Such designs reflected a self-proclaimed European mastery in managing knowledge of the colonized cultures. In trying to claim their legitimacy as new rulers, colonial governments went to great lengths, using the visual qualities of architecture to shield a relatively weak system. The erection of confident and mighty stone facades, however, did little to bury the lingering orientalist prejudices and the inherent unequal status of the colonizers and the colonized. In fact, the knowledge on local histories generated by the colonizers helped create local identities that gave a boost to the upcoming nationalistic movements. But there were interesting differences among the colonies though, that this comparative exercise laid bare. The nuances manifested in the different colonies in terms of the willingness to spend financial resources, the often conflicting objectives between colonial institutions, the effects of shifting colonial policies and the paradoxical underlying principles that defined those policies, and other contextual factors, led to differences in imperial policies and their consequent architectural plans. By probing into these differences as well as by highlighting the similarities cutting across all the three colonies, my thesis contributes to understanding the varying shades of colonialism through the seemingly silent yet starkly telling structures.Show less
In 1646, Curaçao and New Netherland were united under Petrus Stuyvesant as director-general of both colonies. It was the culmination of several years of planning to improve the poor situation in...Show moreIn 1646, Curaçao and New Netherland were united under Petrus Stuyvesant as director-general of both colonies. It was the culmination of several years of planning to improve the poor situation in these territories. The aim was to provide Curaçao with food produced in New Netherland and cut the costs of the unprofitable island. The connection functioned poorly as a lack of shipping capacity made it impossible to supply Curaçao as planned, and food shortages remained common.Show less
De twee slagen bij de Guararapesbergen in 1648 en 1649 bleken een omslag in de geschiedenis van de WIC-kolonie in Nederlands-Brazilië. Het beleid omtrent die twee slagen van de Hoge Raad ofwel de...Show moreDe twee slagen bij de Guararapesbergen in 1648 en 1649 bleken een omslag in de geschiedenis van de WIC-kolonie in Nederlands-Brazilië. Het beleid omtrent die twee slagen van de Hoge Raad ofwel de Nederlandse regering in Nederlands-Brazilië is nog weinig onderzocht. Wel hield Van Hoboken er een negatieve mening op na met betrekking tot het beleid dat de Raad had gevoerd. L'Honore-Naber stelde al in 1925 dat hoe meer wij weten over het beleid van deze regering, hoe positiever ons oordeel - waarschijnlijk - zou zijn. Den Heijer herhaalde dat in 2005. Naar aanleiding daarvan is het beleid van de Raad in bredere zin bekeken door in de periode van de beide slagen het gehele beleid van de Raad in kaart te brengen aan de hand van de Dagelijkse en de Secrete Notulen. Doordat de hulp uit de Republiek te beperkt was en er een constant tekort was van middelen en troepen, kan er verklaard worden waarom de Hoge Raad er niet in kon slagen de kolonie van haar ondergang te behoeden. Zo beaamt deze scriptie de veronderstelling van L'Honoré-Naber en Den Heijer. Daarnaast blijkt de interpretatie van Van Hoboken over het beleid van de Raad te negatief en niet altijd in overeenstemming met de Notulen. Aangezien Boxer in zijn werk zich ook baseerde op Van Hoboken, voegt deze scriptie een nieuwe kijk op de Raad toe aan de geschiedschrijving over Nederlands-Brazilië.Show less
Wat voor soort relatie hadden de Nederlanders, met de Compagnie in het bijzonder, met de machtige confederatie Ashanti in het binnenland van de Goudkust? Dat is de hoofdvraag van dit onderzoek. Aan...Show moreWat voor soort relatie hadden de Nederlanders, met de Compagnie in het bijzonder, met de machtige confederatie Ashanti in het binnenland van de Goudkust? Dat is de hoofdvraag van dit onderzoek. Aan de hand van uitgebreid literatuur- en archiefonderzoek zal worden gepoogd een label te plakken op deze relatie. De focus zal daarbij liggen op de periode 1750-1772; een tijdvak van veel oorlogen in het binnenland, met blokkades van de handelswegen tot gevolgen. De mogelijke labels zijn geformuleerd op basis van politicologische concepten van relaties tussen verschillende volken of staten. Harvey Feinberg, historicus op het gebied van Afrika, heeft deze concepten eerder gebruikt om de relatie tussen de Nederlanders op de Goudkust en de inwoners van Elmina te kunnen duiden. Deze concepten blijken echter ook bruikbaar om de relatie tussen de Nederlanders en Ashanti te verklaren. Op basis van het descriptieve en analytische hoofdstuk kan worden vastgesteld dat hier sprake was van het politicologische concept dependent-independent, hoewel zo’n label nooit helemaal sluitend kan zijn. Ashanti als de onafhankelijke partij, de Compagnie daarentegen afhankelijk.Show less
Nu de treinkaping bij De Punt door de nabestaanden van de gijzelnemers weer in het nieuws gebracht is, wordt historisch onderzoek rondom de Molukkers hoogst relevant. Het doel van mijn MA-scriptie...Show moreNu de treinkaping bij De Punt door de nabestaanden van de gijzelnemers weer in het nieuws gebracht is, wordt historisch onderzoek rondom de Molukkers hoogst relevant. Het doel van mijn MA-scriptie is om beter inzicht te krijgen in de Molukse identiteit in de twintigste eeuw. Om te achterhalen hoe de Molukse identiteit eruit zag, heb ik onderzocht hoe deze beschreven wordt in historische bronnen zowel door de Molukkers zelf als door Nederlanders. Hiervoor onderscheidt de scriptie drie perioden: de koloniale periode tot de Indonesische revolutie, een korte tussenperiode waarin de RMS werd uitgeroepen die duurt tot de migratie van Molukse soldaten naar Nederland in 1952, en de periode in Nederland tot de treinkaping in 1977. Deze scriptie is uniek in die zin dat ze alle drie de perioden bestrijkt. Tot de geraadpleegde bronnen behoren onder meer de memories van overgave en tijdschriften uitgebracht door Molukkers in Nederland. Op deze manier ga ik na welke veranderingen optraden in de Molukse identiteit in de twintigste eeuw, in zowel Indonesië als Nederland. Uit de bronnen worden inderdaad meerdere veranderingen zichtbaar, en ze laten zien dat er meerdere Molukse groepen bestonden met ieder hun eigen idee van wat de Molukse identiteit inhield. Er blijkt dus eigenlijk niet zoiets is als dé Molukse identiteit te bestaan.Show less
The Dutch East India Company formally started their trade operations in Bengal in the early 1630s. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the VOC employed officers and servants of...Show moreThe Dutch East India Company formally started their trade operations in Bengal in the early 1630s. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the VOC employed officers and servants of various ranks to secure their "kantoor‟ or regional trade office as well as fortifications and establishments. Apart from this, many travelers, explorers, and merchants visited Bengal during the peak days of the Dutch connection with the Indian Ocean world. This study aims to explore the social lives of the Dutch people in the society of Bengal and analyze the nature of the cross-cultural relationship between the two communities.Show less
