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
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
2012-12-31T00:00:00Z, 2012-12-31T00:00:00Z
This thesis examines the content and form of the ambivalence displayed by indigenous inhabitants of North Formosa in their relations with the VOC servants in the seventeenth century (1642-1662,...Show moreThis thesis examines the content and form of the ambivalence displayed by indigenous inhabitants of North Formosa in their relations with the VOC servants in the seventeenth century (1642-1662, 1664-1668). It offers an ethnographic reconstruction of North Formosa, two narratives of the encounter with foregrounded indigenous characters, and an analysis of the name of Basay for a reconsideration of the nature of the Basay community. With its three experiments of historical writing, this thesis not only provides a reconstruction of North Formosa and its inhabitants but also reflects upon the potential of using non-indigenous sources to write indigenous history. The conclusion confirms that ambivalence is inevitable for the Basay who acted as the middlemen between local inhabitants and the Dutch in the North Formosan trading network, whereas other North Formosans like the River Peoples and the Kavalan felt freer to act according to their wills. Also, although non-indigenous sources show the potentials for reconstructing indigenous history, there are also challenges such as turning fragmented ethnographic details into a coherent ethnography and building the roundness of indigenous characters by foregrounding them in the chain of historical events. This thesis recommends ways to overcome these challenges and indicates ‘to be written’ as the burden of indigenous writers for a mixture of purposes.Show less
