The Netherlands Royal Family Role in Slavery Under Investigation
Efforts to find facts about the Dutch’s history of slavery which can serve as lessons about state accountability continue to...
VOC
Indonesia Demands Skull, Jewellery and Other Masterpieces Back from the Netherlands
The Indonesian government is demanding artworks, natural historical objects, and complete collections back from the Netherlands. A Dutch newspaper has...
Dutch PM Apologises to Indonesia Over Colonial Period Violence
The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has apologised for the extreme and systematic violence perpetrated during Indonesia’s war of independence....
How did Indonesia’s Economy Come Around?
Studying the Indonesian economy from a historical perspective is essential. A deep understanding of history is needed to support sustainable...
Corruption and Mismanagement in the Times of the VOC
The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) was established in 1602. The company was initially granted a 21-year...
British Bengkulu: A Forgotten Imperial Outpost
Bengkulu, October 1685: The fort stood atop a small hillock on the banks of a coffee-coloured creek. To the west...
Madura – Java’s Different Neighbour
The Javanese may tell you that the island of Madura – only 30 minutes away by ferry from Surabaya –...
Georgius Everhardus Rumphius: From Hobby to Fame
She was called Rumphius in honour and remembrance of the first naturalist of Ambon. Her hull was painted yellow and...
The Sad Story of Pieter Erberveld
There are a number of versions to this story. Depending on the narrator, the good people of Batavia were saved...
Uneasy Money
Gambling, like prostitution and corruption, is an age-old vice that is part of Indonesia’s culture. Despite being criminalized in the...
Indonesia’ First Celebrity Artist
Raden Saleh Boestaman (c. 1807-1880) This well-known photo of Raden Saleh, Indonesia’s ‘first’ western-style painter was taken in 1870 when...