The Dutch Trading Companies as Knowledge Networks

23/10/2008 - 15:00

23 - 24 October 2008
Leiden, the Netherlands

A conference held in preparation of the publication of a volume of essays in Intersections, Yearbook of Early Modern Studies.

Convenors
Prof. Siegfried Huigen, Departement Afrikaans en Nederlands - Stellenbosch University
Dr Jan L. de Jong, Institute for the History of Art and Architecture - Groningen University
Dr Elmer E.P. Kolfin, Faculty of Humanities - University of Amsterdam

Venue
National Museum of Ethnology, Steenstraat 1, Event room, Leiden

The Dutch trading companies, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (WIC), commanded a worldwide network of trading posts. These trading posts were manned by staff of different nationalities, some of whom described their observations and experiences and in many cases published them. In turn these texts formed the basis for other publications about the world outside Europe. An important part of the European discourse about the non-Western world became indirectly dependent on the Dutch trading networks. During a two day conference, a group of researchers from various disciplines will present papers on aspects of these knowledge networks.

Information and registration
Martina van den Haak
m.van.den.haak@let.leidenuniv.nl
071 5273317