The aim of this thesis is to study the intra-Asian textile trade of the Dutch East India Company (De Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, hereafter VOC) between the VOC’s establishment in the...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to study the intra-Asian textile trade of the Dutch East India Company (De Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, hereafter VOC) between the VOC’s establishment in the Coromandel region in the southeastern coast of India and the VOC’s regional establishment at Makassar on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia during the eighteenth century. This thesis focusses primarily on the commercial dynamics of the VOC’s trade in Coromandel textiles to Makassar. The core of the thesis is built upon the trade analysis of the distribution of Coromandel textiles by the VOC in Makassar during the eighteenth century on the basis of the richness of the VOC’s bookkeeping records. The study aims to give an account of the different textile varieties the VOC traded in and the underlying rationale that governed the VOC’s commercial policy of trading in specific categories of Coromandel textiles. Therefore, this study also negotiates the modalities of the VOC’s policy that informed the trade in Coromandel textiles to Makassar during the eighteenth century. The study is situated within the realm of growing literature on the intra-Asian trade of the VOC and hopes to make a contribution to the existing historiographical discourse on the intra-Asian textile trade of the VOC.Show less
Between 1750 and 1773 the three Catholic kingdoms of Portugal, Spain and France expelled the Order of Jesuits from their respective realms. The motives for this expulsion were by and large the same...Show moreBetween 1750 and 1773 the three Catholic kingdoms of Portugal, Spain and France expelled the Order of Jesuits from their respective realms. The motives for this expulsion were by and large the same, as were the procedures taken to expel the Jesuits. Altogether, these three national expulsions can be seen as part of a trilateral diplomatic effort to convince the pope, the unequivocal leader of the Jesuits, to do the same. This article discusses the 'stages of expulsion' and the transnationality of the suppression of the Jesuits.Show less
The thesis examines the conflict resolution of the inhabitants of Makassar in the eighteenth century. In the focus are the Chinese and Wajorese ethnic groups. It concerns itself with the question...Show moreThe thesis examines the conflict resolution of the inhabitants of Makassar in the eighteenth century. In the focus are the Chinese and Wajorese ethnic groups. It concerns itself with the question of why the inhabitants of Makassar made use of the colonial courts of the VOC for arbitration. To this end, specific cases of dispute in the courts of the VOC are examined. The thesis concludes that none of the proposed theories and concepts on their own are able to explain the complex system of motivations, institutions, and trust. Rather, by taking different approaches into account, additional dynamics of conflict resolution in the city are revealed.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to depict how individual merchants organized both Trans-Atlantic and Caribbean trade in Willemstad from circa 1730 until 1790. Rather than emphasizing the role of the...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to depict how individual merchants organized both Trans-Atlantic and Caribbean trade in Willemstad from circa 1730 until 1790. Rather than emphasizing the role of the Jewish-Caribbean diaspora, this study argues that Willemstad was a space of cross-cultural encounters. The social policies of this free port attracted many settlers to its community, including English, Spaniards and Frenchmen. These middleman were vital in sustaining trading relations between Curaçao and its most important trading partners. Curaçao’s economic history also challenges our understanding of the dynamics between metropolitan control and independency of the periphery. It's Trans-Atlantic merchants increasingly traded with Atlantic destinations beyond the Dutch empire and local merchants cooperated closely with state-officials of other empires.Show less
