The cholera epidemic of 1902-1904 in Manila shares striking similarities with the outbreak of plague in Bombay in 1896, particularly in the colonial responses of the American and British...Show moreThe cholera epidemic of 1902-1904 in Manila shares striking similarities with the outbreak of plague in Bombay in 1896, particularly in the colonial responses of the American and British governments respectively. The heavily interventionist and militarist sanitary methods used by each power were masked by the façade of scientific neutrality and colonial efficiency, but each regime encountered resistance to their policies from the Filipino and Indian populations. This thesis explores and compares the plague and cholera epidemics, with an emphasis on what made each outbreak unique within its own context, and on their similarities despite the perceived difference between each colonial power. At the core of this thesis is the question of how colonial governance and indigenous responses to it were conceptualised in the context of the disease epidemics. An analysis of official government accounts of each epidemic demonstrates that, despite their claims to the contrary, colonial thinking and discrimination always undermined the scientific values that the British and American regimes so often espoused.Show less
This thesis explores the debate around the application of the law on the separation of Church and State of 1905 from France in Colonial Algeria from 1890 to 1914. The unique status of Algeria made...Show moreThis thesis explores the debate around the application of the law on the separation of Church and State of 1905 from France in Colonial Algeria from 1890 to 1914. The unique status of Algeria made it so that it was legally part of France, the three départements of Oran, Alger and Constantine were all counted as French départements. Thus it seemed logical that law would be applied in Algeria as there would be no exceptions to any French territory at the time from the law. The application of the law in Algeria nevertheless sparked controversy as the context in which the law would operate was not the same as in France. The presence of an indigenous Muslim population and the dependency of the local Catholic Church on state subsidies raised concerns whether applying the law in Algeria was wise. The French administration in Algeria had also created a special form of hierarchised and centralised Islam with which the laic state could interact with and control. This was achieved through the control of the medersas, by censoring what was taught in these and the fatwas issued by the ulamas, and the recruitment of imams, ulamas and muftis which were proven to be apolitical and loyal to the French state. The Catholic Church in Algeria also served as an assimilative institution as many non-French European immigrants, from Catholic Countries such as Italy, Spain, Malta and Poland, came to Algeria. The application of the law in Algeria would on paper force the French authorities to give up the control they exerted over the unique form of Islam they had created in Algeria, but also give up the unofficial partnership with the Algerian Church with whom the colonial administration cooperated. The debate that originated in France and opposed Catholics and republicans made its way to Algeria and opposed these two ideological camps. What this thesis attempts to do through the analysis of newspaper articles, is to understand what the public opinion on this issue was in Algeria, to bring a nuanced perspective on the debate by highlighting differences within these two ideological camps, and differently from the scholarly literature adopt an approach not based on institutional archives.Show less
This thesis explores the social landscape of nineteenth century Melaka. It surveys the various communities present and their historical roots in the region, as well the relations of these groups...Show moreThis thesis explores the social landscape of nineteenth century Melaka. It surveys the various communities present and their historical roots in the region, as well the relations of these groups with each other and the colonial regime.Show less
MA thesis Colonial and Global History. Onderzoek naar het het rekruteren van Papoeasoldaten door het Nederlandse gouvernement. Bijzondere aandacht voor de periode 1949-1963.
In de eerste helft van de negentiende eeuw veranderde het stadslandschap van Paramaribo op rigoureuze wijze doordat twee branden (1821 en 1832) relatief kort na elkaar het stadscentrum bijna...Show moreIn de eerste helft van de negentiende eeuw veranderde het stadslandschap van Paramaribo op rigoureuze wijze doordat twee branden (1821 en 1832) relatief kort na elkaar het stadscentrum bijna volledig wegvaagden. Met name de stadsbrand van 1821 liet een verwoest stadshart achter. De herbouw duurde jaren maar was vergevorderd toen de tweede brand in 1832 weer een groot deel van het centrum van de stad in de as legde. Nu Paramaribo voor de tweede keer in korte tijd door een verwoestende brand was getroffen moesten er maatregelen worden genomen om dit in de toekomst te voorkomen. Toen na een paar weken werd ontdekt dat de brand was aangestoken deed het bestuur er alles aan om de schuldigen te pakken. De brandstichters bleken weggelopen slaafgemaakten te zijn. De combinatie van angst voor weggelopen slaafgemaakten en angst voor brand zorgde ervoor dat de daders zwaar werden gestraft. Koloniale slavensamenlevingen werden beheerst door angst, van de slaafgemaakten voor het geweld van de eigenaren, en van de eigenaren voor opstand door de slaafgemaakten. Dit leidde volgens historicus Vincent Brown niet alleen tot een vicieuze cirkel van angst en geweld, maar ook tot specifieke vormen van anti-zwart racisme tegen mannen in slavensamenlevingen. Volgens Brown werkt dit door in hedendaagse raciale vooroordelen. Suriname past in dat beeld; de koloniale machthebbers waren bang voor de slaafgemaakten op de plantages en de marrons. Maar in de stad waande men zich lange tijd veilig. De brand bracht daar mogelijk grote verandering in, en daarmee mogelijk ook in de verhouding tussen eigenaren en slaven in de stad. In dit onderzoek zal de invloed van de brand van 1832 op de stadsslavernij in Paramaribo nader worden bekeken. En ook hoe de betekenis van de stadsbrand, die de geschiedenis in zou gaan als de ‘Cojo branti’, door de jaren heen veranderde. Die verandering is een goede graadmeter voor de postkoloniale verwerking van deze geschiedenis. Het toont de veranderende plek die het slavernijverleden in de Surinaamse nationale identiteit heeft gekregen, maar of de veranderende herdenkingstraditie ook afbreuk heeft gedaan aan anti-zwart racisme is een open vraag.Show less
This thesis looks at the role and usage of colonial archival documents in the knowledge production of the eighteenth-century Dutch East India Company (VOC), through a case study of the Overgekomen...Show moreThis thesis looks at the role and usage of colonial archival documents in the knowledge production of the eighteenth-century Dutch East India Company (VOC), through a case study of the Overgekomen Brieven en Papieren (OBP) of the regional establishment of Malabar. By looking at documentary practices regarding the OBP, conceptualised as an early modern colonial archive, this research traces its epistemic potential through several stages: creation and selection on the Malabar Coast, dispersion through the information network of the company and dissection by the Haags Besogne. The findings presented here show that the epistemic potential of the OBP was eroded in every stage and only partially actualised by company officials in the Dutch Republic. In line with recent studies on early modern colonial archives, this thesis raises scepticism towards the equation of knowledge and empire through colonial archives, but offers new arguments and explanations for doing so.Show less
Navigating the early Cold War during the 1950s was no easy task for states and international organisations, given the changing dynamics and intrigues of Cold War geopolitics and the onset of...Show moreNavigating the early Cold War during the 1950s was no easy task for states and international organisations, given the changing dynamics and intrigues of Cold War geopolitics and the onset of decolonisation across Asia and Africa. In this period, a number of national, regional and international political organisations emerged across the “Third World” which sought to establish their own movements and support based on their own ideology. The Asian Socialist Conference, 1953-1960, was one such organisation which came into existence in this period and attempted to navigate the early Cold War. Significant limitations faced organisations like the ASC as they addressed the “great problems”, relating to European colonialism and the Cold War, facing the world. In a broader context, the limitations the ASC faced explain the difficulties “Third World” Afro-Asian networks in navigating the Cold War. Through a more Asian-centric approach, the purpose of this analysis will therefore be to analyse and explain the limitations the ASC faced in its endeavour to resolve the great world problems of the 1950s and how those limitations show the difficulties “Third World” Afro-Asian networks had in navigating early Cold War.Show less
This thesis will argue that the collaboration between local elites in Aceh, the uleebalang, and the Dutch colonials after the establishment of civil governance in 1918 was an uneasy one. In...Show moreThis thesis will argue that the collaboration between local elites in Aceh, the uleebalang, and the Dutch colonials after the establishment of civil governance in 1918 was an uneasy one. In contrast with existing historiography that depicted the position of uleebalang merely as the henchmen of the colonial authorities, this thesis will examine a specific event, that is the involvement of several uleebalang in North Aceh into the mass organization Sarekat Islam (Union of Islam) in the 1920s, to provide new insight into the nature of the collaboration and the making of modern political life in Aceh. In brief, this case presented anxiety and distrust of Dutch officials towards their local collaborator, the uleebalang, due to their activity in Sarekat Islam. By focusing on 1918-1923, this thesis attempts to analyze how Aceh was integrated into the colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies by means of collaboration with its local elites, the uleebalang. Rather than looking at the selected events of Sarekat Islam in North Aceh merely as local dynamics as previous research has done, this thesis will discuss the connection between local events with wider networks of anti-colonial resistance in the Dutch East Indies between 1918-1923. In doing so, this thesis aims to fill the gap in the historiography of colonial Aceh in its early years of civil rule while also contributing to the historiography of colonial civil administration of the Dutch East Indies.Show less
This thesis argues that the Angolan Bush War should be studied as a global conflict. The war involved a variety of state actors, from South Africa and Angola to Cuba and the Soviet Union, and a...Show moreThis thesis argues that the Angolan Bush War should be studied as a global conflict. The war involved a variety of state actors, from South Africa and Angola to Cuba and the Soviet Union, and a global perspective is required to understand the conflict as a whole. While much of the existing literature on the subject is focused on the political aspects of the war, the analysis of accounts from Soviet soldiers serving in Angola demonstrates that these political dimensions often played a minimal role in the lives of the troops on the ground. However, the accounts examined give detailed commentary on the interactions between the Soviet advisers and their foreign counterparts, including both their battlefield allies and adversaries, and thus offer unique insight into this complex episode of history.Show less
The Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj, is known as one of the biggest movement of people in the world. This annual event has long become the meeting point of Muslims from various places. In the late...Show moreThe Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj, is known as one of the biggest movement of people in the world. This annual event has long become the meeting point of Muslims from various places. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the face of hajj changed significantly due to the advance in technology, opening of transportation routes and involvement of colonial government in conducting the hajj. The number of hajj participants from the Dutch East Indies, which were also known as the haji jawa increased greatly, including the female pilgrims, which made up 20-30% of the total pilgrims from the region. This thesis puts gender and colonial perspective together to study the female pilgrims and hajjah from the Dutch East Indies in comparison to the male counterparts. This thesis addresses the issue of how the Dutch colonial government perceived the female pilgrims and hajjah from the Dutch East Indies, such as what kind of themes appeared in the depiction of female pilgrims in the archives, where and when the female pilgrims were mentioned or not mentioned and why, and how it eventually relates to the production of knowledge about it. Contrary to the popular beliefs that the pilgrims were all male, there were many female pilgrims and many of them stayed in Mecca as moekimers. Women were mainly depicted as wife and companion, and victim of violence and slavery. They were underplayed in the archives and had never been under the spotlight in comparison to male pilgrims which were regarded as very important due to the possibility of being subversive and rebellious. The downplayed depiction of female pilgrims in the archives is continued until today in the historiography of hajj.Show less
Women played a vital role during the anti-slavery campaigns in the United States and Great Britain in the nineteenth century. Their involvement pushed the boundaries of the prescribed gender roles...Show moreWomen played a vital role during the anti-slavery campaigns in the United States and Great Britain in the nineteenth century. Their involvement pushed the boundaries of the prescribed gender roles of the time, as women were supposed to remain within the household sphere and abstain from any political involvement. Abolitionist women were also active in the Netherlands, such as the 129 women from Rotterdam who sent a petition to King Willem II in 1842. This thesis outlines how Dutch and American women abolitionists challenged the prescribed gender roles by publicly interfering with abolitionism.Show less
Eind zeventiende eeuw ontstond er binnen de Gereformeerde kerk in de nederlandse gebieden op Indonesië een discussie in welke vorm Maleis de bijbel gebruikt voor de zending moest worden vertaald....Show moreEind zeventiende eeuw ontstond er binnen de Gereformeerde kerk in de nederlandse gebieden op Indonesië een discussie in welke vorm Maleis de bijbel gebruikt voor de zending moest worden vertaald. In het literaire Hoog Maleis of in de spreektaal, het Laag Maleis. in de scriptie word deze discussie geanalyseerd binnen zijn historische context en word er gekeken naar de beredeneringen voor de keuze voor de druk van de Hoog Maleise versie van de Bijbel.Show less
Elsbeth Locher-Scholten in Ethiek in Fragmenten argued that the political struggle for the political future of the Dutch East Indies (hereafter ‘the DEI’) was fought during the course of the...Show moreElsbeth Locher-Scholten in Ethiek in Fragmenten argued that the political struggle for the political future of the Dutch East Indies (hereafter ‘the DEI’) was fought during the course of the Ethical Policy. During this period, Leiden professors advocated the principle of association which was defined by Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje as “the emergence of a Dutch state, consisting of two parts, separated geographically but spiritually and intimately connected, one in North-West Europe and the other in South-East Asia.” Snouck Hurgronje suggested that, in order to run the principle of association, the Netherlands should introduce Western education and culture to indigenous people of the DEI. Language is a significant component of education and culture, and in this case it was a means of introducing Western education and culture to indigenous people of the DEI. This background supports this paper in its investigation of the development of ideas regarding language policy—the use of a particular language or set of languages—in the DEI, that were conveyed and discussed during the course of the Ethical Policy. This paper intends to contribute to the study of language policy in the DEI by concentrating on the development of ideas during the course of the Ethical Policy by addressing a main research question: “How did ideas regarding language policy in the DEI develop during the course of the Ethical Policy?” In order to answer the research questions, this paper examines ideas regarding language policy in the DEI, which were mainly conveyed throughout several congresses namely: (1) het Nederlandsche Taal- en Letterkundig Congres (the Dutch Language and Literary Congress), (2) het koloniaal onderwijscongress (the Colonial Education Congress), and (3) het Indonesisch jeugdcongres or (the Indonesian Youth Congress). Each congress was designed to represent the main ideas conveyed by groups of scholars, educators, and Indonesian nationalists. This paper also makes use of relevant official documents to examine language policy in the DEI within the DEI government itself. The conclusions of this paper are (1) the continuity of the developing ideas regarding language policy in the Indies during the Ethical Policy demonstrates no fundamental change in the ethical mentality, which to a great degree would ultimately benefit the Netherlands; (2) The ethical mentality was arguably not the rationale behind the promotion of the Indonesian language as the national language of the Indies by Indonesian nationalists; and (3) The Dutch language was not the primary motive that encouraged the nationalists to promote the Indonesian identity.Show less
This research focuses on how the Italian colonial officers described and envisioned the askari troops recruited in Eritrea during Italian colonial expansion. Through descriptions of battles, war...Show moreThis research focuses on how the Italian colonial officers described and envisioned the askari troops recruited in Eritrea during Italian colonial expansion. Through descriptions of battles, war performances, uses, religions and appearance, the Italians attempted to create a cohesive and univocal model for the askari, at the same time exploring the realities they encountered. Describing the askari was not only a normative endeavour, but also a way to grasp and understand the colony according to the Italian view.Show less
