This thesis investigates the records of the Dutch Factory in Japan (NFJ) of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to determine the stability of information that was produced and processed by VOC...Show moreThis thesis investigates the records of the Dutch Factory in Japan (NFJ) of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to determine the stability of information that was produced and processed by VOC servants in the early eighteenth century. To accomplish this, the information on a single event was compared using several different VOC genres that played a key role in transferring the news from Japan via Batavia to the Dutch Republic. It led to a surprising result. Rather than undergoing significant changes, the contents initially recorded by servants remained consistent when copied into new VOC genre documents.Show less
After the conquest of Banda in 1621, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) introduced the perkeniersstelsel to ensure a monopoly on nutmeg and mace. Due to the commercial nature of the spices and the...Show moreAfter the conquest of Banda in 1621, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) introduced the perkeniersstelsel to ensure a monopoly on nutmeg and mace. Due to the commercial nature of the spices and the use of slave production, the perkeniersstelsel is often compared to the Atlantic plantation system. This study traces the development of the perkeniersstelsel between 1621 and 1640 and compares it to the Atlantic plantation system. This study argues that although the VOC was attempting to develop the perkeniersstelsel in the direction of the Atlantic mode, Banda’s unique environment and the VOC’s weaknesses in accessing terrestrial resources led the system down its own path. Furthermore, it proposes that Banda slavery should be regarded as the first expansion of slavery into rural areas in Southeast Asia, rather than the first penetration of European slavery into Southeast Asia.Show less
Een vergelijkend onderzoek naar de wijze waarop de VOC in Safawiedisch Perzië, Mughal India, en Manchu China betrekkingen onderhield met de centrale autoriteiten aan het hof en de lokale...Show moreEen vergelijkend onderzoek naar de wijze waarop de VOC in Safawiedisch Perzië, Mughal India, en Manchu China betrekkingen onderhield met de centrale autoriteiten aan het hof en de lokale autoriteiten in de havensteden.Show less
Even though the Dutch East India Company (VOC) came to Asia for Asian luxury products, in Java, their main drive was a bulk, rice, which was used as the operational cost for its empire in Asia....Show moreEven though the Dutch East India Company (VOC) came to Asia for Asian luxury products, in Java, their main drive was a bulk, rice, which was used as the operational cost for its empire in Asia. After a series of wars in the past century, in 1743, the VOC managed to establish control over the majority of rice producing area in Java. This responsibility oftentimes set the VOC as the ultimate cause of the deteriorating of the once flourishing rice economy of Java. However, the accusation experienced strong challenges from the established studies telling about prosperity in the second half of 18th century Java and VOC’s minimal intervention to the island’s rice economy. This thesis examined the contradiction through an exploration towards VOC’s trading document such as the general ledger, correspondence, and reports. In the end it argues that however thin was VOC’s influence to the system, the impact was devastating for Java’s rice economy. Since 1743, VOC asked for 5000 koyangs rice, which was more than a half of Java’s total surplus from a particular region named pasisir which made only 35% of the total rice producing area in Java. This thesis also argued that in the second half of 18th century, different parts of Java experienced different states of economy. The hinterland, under the ex-Mataram states was prosperous because they did not have to bear the 5000 koyangs annual obligatory delivery, while in pasisir, workload increased without proper compensation. This phenomenon in pasisir led to the rapid growth of population, rapid deforestation for constructing rice field, for a mere stagnant surplus. The obligatory delivery cut a considerable income of the pasisir’s rice farmer, left them with no relaxation on their budget that initially could make room for innovation and technological advancement, which were why, in the 18th century pasisir rice farmer re-practiced frugal extensification as what their ancestor did eight century ago.Show less
This thesis seeks to examine how the reliance of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) on the mutasaddi (governor) of the imperial harbour town of Surat differed between the governorship of Diânat...Show moreThis thesis seeks to examine how the reliance of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) on the mutasaddi (governor) of the imperial harbour town of Surat differed between the governorship of Diânat Khan (1699-1701) and the governorship of Haider Quli Khan (1716-1719). As the years surrounding the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 saw local mutasaddi strengthen their position, the VOC reconsidered its approach to problem-solving. The comparison between these two governorships makes it clear that the VOC displayed a clear preference for a local solution negotiated with the governor. During the governorship of Diânat Khan, reaching out to the emperor was still considered as an option. However, it was seen as a more expensive and less effective alternative that required support from local government officials to work. Two decades later during the governorship of Haider Quli Khan, the VOC made it clear that they had lost faith in the emperor’s authority within Surat. They relied more heavily on the governor than before for matters of security, trade and conflict-resolution. Examining these periods shows that the VOC dealt with a much wider range of officials than often assumed, preferred the efficiency of a deal with the governor over a deal with the emperor, and worked with local government to approach the emperor when local authority was not enough to solve an issue.Show less
This thesis investigates the authority and the power of kingship under the Cirebon kings under the context of the alliance between the trifurcated sultanate of Cirebon with the Dutch East India...Show moreThis thesis investigates the authority and the power of kingship under the Cirebon kings under the context of the alliance between the trifurcated sultanate of Cirebon with the Dutch East India Company (or the VOC). Authority and power are two pillars of kingship that operated in different but intertwining realms. The former deals with the legitimacy that is either top-down descending on the king from a transcendent source and/or ascending from the bottom up by his “subjects.” By corroborating Cirebonese manuscripts and VOC archives, this study indicates that an ideal Cirebon sultan upheld spiritual commitments more than material achievements. When VOC’s interest to meddle in local politics grew, the company attempted to subjugate Cirebon through a series of treaties that detached the sultans from powers. However, the Cirebon sultans and the VOC had a different notion of power. Detachment from the material world allowed the Cirebon sultans to commit to spiritual endeavors. As shown by Cirebon’s founding father, Sunan Gunung Jati, an ideal king positioned Islam as the fulcrum of his universe. Thus, VOC’s entrenchment over Cirebon helped Sultan Sepuh I, Sultan Anom I, and Panembahan Kacirebonan to be ideal rulers. An idea which the company barely showed any interest in. This study accessed both Cirebonese chronicles and annals and documents produced by the VOC stored in The Hague and Jakarta. By delving into the sources, the present study presents a case study of the interaction between a local entity with the VOC as a colonial force that annuls the simplistic view of the anti-colonial history.Show less
When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) came to Asia, its presence was contingent on relations with Asian polities. Elephant gift-giving was one of the practices the VOC conducted and experienced...Show moreWhen the Dutch East India Company (VOC) came to Asia, its presence was contingent on relations with Asian polities. Elephant gift-giving was one of the practices the VOC conducted and experienced with Asian rulers alongside trade. The VOC acted as a giver and a receiver; it received gift-elephants from Southeast Asian polities plus Kandy and transferred them westward. This study examines the Dutch-Asian elephant diplomacy and sociocultural foundations behind the diplomatic scene during the seventeenth century. It argues that the existing Dutch acknowledgment of elephant gift-giving traditions and imaginations and perceptions of the emblematic elephant facilitated the elephant diplomacy between the VOC and Asian polities. In other words, these mentalities were integral to the commensurability in the Dutch-Asian elephant gift-giving. Furthermore, the case of the emblematic elephant imagined and perceived by the Dutch shows that the seventeenth-century historical change in worldview from emblematic to empirical was more nuanced and not linear.Show less
This thesis consists of a research on the information networks within the VOC. Within the paper an analysis is made on how violent events affecting the VOC are portrayed within their sources. Did...Show moreThis thesis consists of a research on the information networks within the VOC. Within the paper an analysis is made on how violent events affecting the VOC are portrayed within their sources. Did the contents of these sources and discription about the event change as the information passed higher in the hierarchy of the VOC? How was the use of violence justified? And which role do archival genres play in describing the violence? These questions are answered by means of two case studies. First about the massacre of the Chinese in Batavia in 1740. Second about the uprising on Ceylon in 1760 by Kandy.Show less
The national celebration 400 jaar VOC marked the 400 year anniversary of the foundation of the Dutch United East India Company (VOC) in 2002. This thesis investigates how the meaning of the VOC...Show moreThe national celebration 400 jaar VOC marked the 400 year anniversary of the foundation of the Dutch United East India Company (VOC) in 2002. This thesis investigates how the meaning of the VOC is fixed through notions of past, present and future, as well as the continuity between these moments, in three exhibitions that took place in the context of the celebration: De Kleurrijke Wereld van de VOC (The Colourful World of the VOC) at the Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime museum) in Amsterdam; Upstream, with specifically the work of artist Shilpa Gupta (Mumbai, b. 1976) in Amsterdam and Mumbai; and Dutch Masters from Indian Collections, an initiative of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, on view in Mumbai. I trace the positions of these exhibitions within the celebration, and, following Michel Foucault’s power-knowledge and Gloria Wekker’s application of Edward Said’s term of the cultural archive to the Dutch context, employ a discourse analysis. I argue that what is absent from the accounts of relations between past, present and future of the VOC in the three exhibitions, except for Gupta’s statements, is the idea that 400 jaar VOC also means 400 years of Dutch colonialism, which influence dominant meaning-making processes in Dutch society today. The recognition of colonialism as structure of thinking forming a relationship between past, present and future is equivalently lacking in statements criticizing postcolonial theory today in the Netherlands.Show less
The paper examines the discourse used by the VOC to describe the Shimabara Rebellion 1637-1638 (a rebellion with socio-economic reasons and strong Christian influences) and its own encounter with...Show moreThe paper examines the discourse used by the VOC to describe the Shimabara Rebellion 1637-1638 (a rebellion with socio-economic reasons and strong Christian influences) and its own encounter with Asian Christians during the Rebellion. The paper makes use of the Dagregisters of Hirado as primary sources to examine the changes in the used discourse. The paper shows that the changes in the discourse created a narrative that was best suited for the situation. The changes also show the difficulty the VOC had in positioning itself during the conflict. On the one hand, the Asian Christians were Catholic enemies, but on the other hand they were fellow Christians fighting non-Christians. The most distinct discourse change happened after the VOC offered its assistance in stopping the rebellion. After which the VOC completely removes the Christian element of the rebellion in their texts, while they had first focused on it.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
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
This thesis examined a largely unknown era (1680-1860) in the history of North Sulawesi. A revised model of the social history of the region has been proposed on the basis of the VOC ...Show moreThis thesis examined a largely unknown era (1680-1860) in the history of North Sulawesi. A revised model of the social history of the region has been proposed on the basis of the VOC 'visitatierapporten'. By focusing on how Christianity altered the social and political structures of the region (gender, social class, educational institutions, chiefly patronage networks), this thesis has demonstrated that it is possible to reconstruct the 'internal' history of North Sulawesi, in spite of a scarcity of local historical sources. Significant findings include 1) the social fluidity of 'class' in North Sulawesi societies, 2) the fact that Christianity was not limited to elite classes, as had hitherto been thought and 3) that (some) women transformed their former role as 'animist' religious specialists to roles of prominence within the Christian community.Show less
