Multiculturality, Religion and Legal Status in the Dutch Colonial World, c. 1600 - c. 1960

21/01/2009 - 09:00

21 January 2009The Hague, the Netherlands

Multiculturalism, religion and equal rights are terms that are impossible to ignore in the current public debate in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. Many people imagine these phenomenons to be relatively new. They often forget that the Netherlands have had to deal with heterogeneity and tensions between different social groups, albeit in a colonial context overseas.

Both the ING and the KITLV currently have projects under construction which can shed light on aspects of the history of the multicultural, ethnic and religious diversity in a colonial context. Examples are the expansion of missionary work, western education and the reaction of the Muslim community in Indonesia, or the arrival of contract workers of various religious and ethnic backgrounds in Suriname after the abolition of slavery. The important question was which legal rights these groups were entitled to. The government appears to have been both the initiator and manager of the social diversity. This symposium is dedicated to this theme.
During the public afternoon of this symposium, several aspects will be discussed in further detail.

Please visit http://www.inghist.nl for further information.

The symposium is co-organized by:

Institute for Netherlands History (ING, The Hague)
Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV, Leiden)

The symposium is co-sponsored by:

International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS, Leiden)