Debates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial...Show moreDebates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial history and has returned 472 looted art objects back to Indonesia that came into Dutch hands during the colonial period. However, Indonesia has been requesting the return of cultural heritage objects since the 1960s, with its aim to support a new national narrative of the Indonesian state. The Netherlands has been unwilling to return objects due to a loss of power in the colonies and a loss of cultural control. This thesis explores the colonial thought and power structures that underlie the discourse on the restitution of colonial artifacts, such as in the case study of the Java Man remains. By performing an adaptation of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and employing concepts such as heritage, universal value, looted, and restitution, this thesis argues that the Dutch state and institutions, such as Naturalis, claiming ownership of the looted artifacts proves to reflect the presence of a lingering colonial way of thinking, where the West is thought of as superior in terms of scientific research and architecture. The exhibition Early Humans where the Java Man remains are stored and presented, lacks information regarding the excavation of the artifacts and the colonial context they were found in. The lack of information regarding the colonial history reaffirms the power structures of the museum, linked to their colonial past of collecting. By analyzing the discourse surrounding the remains, this thesis aims to add how such colonial thinking and power structures have been reinforced through the debate of cultural heritage ownership.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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The thesis aims at situating "The Coconuts", one of the first Sino-Indonesian Chinese language works of fiction published in book form, by Zheng Tufei, in the history of Indonesian and Chinese...Show moreThe thesis aims at situating "The Coconuts", one of the first Sino-Indonesian Chinese language works of fiction published in book form, by Zheng Tufei, in the history of Indonesian and Chinese literature, by analyzing the main themes approached, the typologies of characters, the language and style, and the ideas promoted, in comparison with different bodies of literature (Malay, Indonesian, Sino-Malay, Sinophone, Chinese). The thesis also makes an account of all the biographical and bibliographocal data about Zheng Tufei available so far.Show less
The Dubois Collection, currently patrimony of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (the Netherlands), is a contested assemblage of fossils and personal archival material pertaining to the...Show moreThe Dubois Collection, currently patrimony of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (the Netherlands), is a contested assemblage of fossils and personal archival material pertaining to the Dutch palaeontology and paleoanthropologist Marie Eugène François Thomas Dubois (1858 – 1940). Most notably, the collection contains a skullcap and femurs belonging to the ancient hominid ancestor Homo Erectus. These finds were dubbed ‘Java Man’ and constitute the earliest physical evidence that the human lineage has been subject to evolution according to Darwinian principles of selection and adaptation. While these have always been a subject of great interest to the scientific community, the historicity of the Collection and particularly the contested status of these fossils have attracted much less academic interest over the last 12 decades. This changed when a formal request by the government of Indonesia for restitution of the Dubois Collection was filed with the Dutch government in October 2022. A state commission is now deliberating on the rightful place of residence for the Dubois Collection. Because there is a possibility that the Java Man fossils may remain with their current stewards at Naturalis in Leiden, it is worthwhile to examine their exhibition history and investigate how the current permanent exhibition seeks to educate the public about the historical context in which these fossils were acquired. This text questions whether the permanent exhibition on Dubois and Java Man in Naturalis Biodiversity Center reflects a commitment to researching and informing the public about the historical context in which the Dubois Collection was acquired. It describes the exhibition history of the Dubois Collection and particularly the Java Man fossils and critically examines the narrative that has been presented in these exhibitions. Particularly, this text argues that the perceived differences between natural history and material culture collections are instrumental in explaining why the current permanent exhibition falls short of educating the public about the historical context in which the Java Man fossils were acquired. It also elaborates on the public statements made by museum staff to further contextualise the possible motivations for making certain design choices in this exhibition.Show less
In 2017 the exhibition The Birth of the Indonesian youth movement travelled between the Dutch National Archive and the Indonesian National Archive. Part of the exhibition are photographs...Show moreIn 2017 the exhibition The Birth of the Indonesian youth movement travelled between the Dutch National Archive and the Indonesian National Archive. Part of the exhibition are photographs documenting the rise of these movements. This thesis seeks to analyze the narrative at work in the photographs and the framing of the exhibition and how these relate to one another. The photographs are analyzed in the context of the growing independence movement in the Dutch East Indies. This thesis argues that a shift in agency of the people in the Indies realizes a transcultural narrative in the photographs. Moreover, it argues that, by isolating the photographs from further historical context, the photographs are reduced to only one object and therefore largely loose their political importance. Ultimately, this thesis acknowledges the complexity in the depiction of a contested colonial past and analyzes the ways in which this is exhibited.Show less
History education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history...Show moreHistory education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history education and learning materials. This thesis aims to find out how Dutch colonial history is represented in Dutch secondary education learning materials. Through an analysis of several high school history textbooks, it became clear that there are quite a few issues when it comes to the representations of Dutch colonial history. In short, the books pay too little attention to the topic, contain Eurocentric and one-sided narratives, biased language use and they rarely engage in current public debates around colonial history. A questionnaire was also conducted among high school students to discover how extensive their knowledge on Dutch colonialism is, and to get an insight on their opinions and perspectives regarding that history. The questionairre revealed that there are significant gaps in the students’ knowledge about Dutch colonialism. While the newer editions of the textbooks showed some improvements, the learning materials still have a long way to go.Show less
Ever since the Republic of Indonesia had gained its independence, Dutch society and various political Governments have been in debate with each other on how to memorise the period of the...Show moreEver since the Republic of Indonesia had gained its independence, Dutch society and various political Governments have been in debate with each other on how to memorise the period of the Netherlands as coloniser of the East Indies. This has resulted in a wide range of perspectives on this part of the Dutch history by scientists. Although, there are many references to the Dutch East Indies within the contemporary society of the Netherlands, people tend to know more about the Holocaust rather than the heritage of the Dutch East Indies. This has resulted in the aim to examine why the heritage of World War II in the Dutch East Indies became a forgotten war for Dutch society. The study will be done by trying to verify three hypotheses surrounding the following themes: concealment, lack of public attention and memory.Show less
"How are the Moluccans part of Dutch Collective Memory?" is the question that this Thesis tries to answer by using the concept of Collective Memory by Maurice Halbwachs and by discussing the...Show more"How are the Moluccans part of Dutch Collective Memory?" is the question that this Thesis tries to answer by using the concept of Collective Memory by Maurice Halbwachs and by discussing the historical relationship between the Netherlands and the Moluccas, Dutch Education, Museums, Monuments, Memorials, post-colonial debate and a sef-made online survey where people who attended Dutch schools are asked how much they know about the Moluccan Community living in the Netherlands.Show less
On December 27th 1949, the Netherlands transferred most of the sovereignty to Indonesia after a decolonization-conflict that lasted for more than four years. This meant the end of the Dutch East...Show moreOn December 27th 1949, the Netherlands transferred most of the sovereignty to Indonesia after a decolonization-conflict that lasted for more than four years. This meant the end of the Dutch East Indies. The soldiers of the Royal Dutch Army returned home after having lived under extreme conditions in a country that was completely unlike anything they were used to. Over the decades that followed a large number of publications appeared, many of them informal. In these publications the former Dutch soldiers told stories about their migration to the Dutch East Indies as soldiers, and their return to the Netherlands after their stay of three to four years. For my internship at the KITLV I took stock of some of the published stories as well as of the interviews with former soldiers collected by the KITLV. What struck me was that these stories formed a more or less coherent collective narrative. This narrative shows primarily similarities in descriptions of preparations and expectations of the Dutch East Indies, their experiences in the Dutch East Indies, and returning home after the war. In this thesis I researched several possible explanations why the content of these stories that recall these individual expectations, perceptions and experiences is of such a collective nature.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
This master thesis contrasts the experiences of Indische migrants in the United States and the Netherlands. That is, by investigating the identity formation of Indische migrants in both countries,...Show moreThis master thesis contrasts the experiences of Indische migrants in the United States and the Netherlands. That is, by investigating the identity formation of Indische migrants in both countries, I show how different societal factors influence the formation of an Indische identity.Show less
