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
This thesis is focussed around the question of what the maritime cultural landscape of Dutch Mauritius can tell us about the island's roles and significance in the Dutch overseas expansion (1598...Show moreThis thesis is focussed around the question of what the maritime cultural landscape of Dutch Mauritius can tell us about the island's roles and significance in the Dutch overseas expansion (1598-1710). The curious contrast between the great gap that exists in colonial and maritime historiography concerning Dutch Mauritius and the fact that the VOC had a dominant presence on the island for over a century has been the main reason to dive into this question. While leaning on the archaeological concept of Westerdahl’s maritime cultural landscape by analysing the elements of geography, structures and sailing routes, and by complementing this landscape through historic research into the elements of maritime knowledge and European competition, this thesis shows that Mauritius was more important to the Dutch overseas expansion in the Indian Ocean than was previously thought.Show less
Hoofdvraag: welke interne en externe factoren bepaalden het verloop bepaalden van de negotiaties van Ferrand Whaley Hudig tussen 1759 en 1797? Met interne factoren worden de kenmerken van het...Show moreHoofdvraag: welke interne en externe factoren bepaalden het verloop bepaalden van de negotiaties van Ferrand Whaley Hudig tussen 1759 en 1797? Met interne factoren worden de kenmerken van het negotiatiecontract zelf bedoeld. Externe factoren zijn de invloeden die buiten het contract vallen.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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This thesis describes and analyzes the famine that occurred in the Netherlands East Indies, c. 1900-1904. The famine affected Java and parts of the Outer Islands. It details (the principles behind)...Show moreThis thesis describes and analyzes the famine that occurred in the Netherlands East Indies, c. 1900-1904. The famine affected Java and parts of the Outer Islands. It details (the principles behind) the relief efforts of the Dutch colonial government. It also analyzes how the colonial government used the famine to accumulate knowledge on the subject, while politically representing and justifying its response. The thesis argues that famines and food shortages are integral to understanding the colonial state and colonial society. Further, it takes a comparative perspective by connecting the famine to famine experiences of other colonial powers in British India and French Indochina.Show less
