Customary law in South Africa was transformed by its incorporation into the colonial and later Apartheid state. In this regard, the work of colonial administrators and scholars were important as...Show moreCustomary law in South Africa was transformed by its incorporation into the colonial and later Apartheid state. In this regard, the work of colonial administrators and scholars were important as their visions of idealised ‘tribal’ society and chiefly rule with despotic and patriarchal qualities were often largely reproduced in official state policy, and served to legitimate white minority rule. Literature on this subject has tended to either be situated within a national narrative, or largely focus on British policies of indirect rule. Tracing the career and thought of F.D. ‘Frits’ Holleman in the first half of the 20th Century, as he moved from judicial and scholarly appointments in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), to posts at Leiden University in the Netherlands and ultimately Stellenbosch University in South Africa, allows for a more explicitly global approach to the subject. It also demonstrates an insufficiently-acknowledged transfer of Dutch colonial expertise and experience from an established body of Indonesian adat law scholarship, originating at Leiden University, to an emerging field of customary law scholarship in the strongly Afrikaner Nationalist environment of Stellenbosch. While Holleman’s work on South African customary law was in some ways distinct from what he had worked on before, many of the concepts and characteristics he ascribed to African societies were straightforwardly transposed from his work on adat law, which stood within a tradition of scholarship that demonstrated both paternal/empathic concern for protecting non-Western law, and a strong essentialising impulse, leading to broad and enduring generalisations about supposedly ‘primitive’ societies. Beyond Holleman’s own trajectory, this study holds broader significance in the way it demonstrates the spread of theories of adat law far beyond their place of origin, and their influence on South African thinking about customary law. Moreover, the structural factors which allowed Holleman and his ideas to travel, suggest connections far deeper than a single individual; Holleman’s case has implications for how we think about the ongoing relationship between the Netherlands and South Africa, and indeed a triangular relationship between the Netherlands, Indonesia and South Africa. It may also offer a new lens with which to view the revival of traditionalist politics in both South Africa and Indonesia.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
Uit eerdere onderzoeken bleek dat het concordantiebeginsel in de rechtspraak van de Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden, in de koloniën dikwijls doorbroken werd. Aan de hand van 106...Show moreUit eerdere onderzoeken bleek dat het concordantiebeginsel in de rechtspraak van de Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden, in de koloniën dikwijls doorbroken werd. Aan de hand van 106 rechtszaken uit de tweede helft van de 18e eeuw is gekeken of deze stelling ook opgaat voor de rechtspraak in de forten op de Afrikaanse westkust, in het bijzonder in Elmina. De manier van procederen en kennis over rechtsbronnen uit de Republiek was bekend en werd in Elmina in de praktijk gebracht. Tegelijkertijd was door het ontbreken van een territoriale claim de rechtspraktijk in Elmina, meer dan in de Republiek, vatbaar voor veranderingen. In Elmina was er sprake van een rechtspluralistische entiteit waar verschillende rechtssystemen en jurisdicties naast elkaar bestonden. Er was echter maar beperkt sprake van wederzijdse beïnvloeding. De theorieën van Benton en Davis over parallelle rechtssystemen gaat dus maar ten dele op. Waar de rechtspraak in Elmina afweek van die in de Republiek had dit meer te maken met de lokale omstandigheden, zichtbaar in sociale verhoudingen en geografische verschillen waardoor een bepaalde straf minder voor de hand lag dan in de Republiek.Show less
Verslag van een onderzoek naar de parallellen tussen de ideeën en acties van Van der Plas als bestuurder en als ontwikkelingswerker. Uit de vastgestelde parallellen wordt een mate van continuïteit...Show moreVerslag van een onderzoek naar de parallellen tussen de ideeën en acties van Van der Plas als bestuurder en als ontwikkelingswerker. Uit de vastgestelde parallellen wordt een mate van continuïteit vastgesteld tussen de gedachte achter de 'ethische politiek' en het ontwikkelingswerk van na 1950.Show less
