KITLV Research

KITLV initiates and coordinates innovative research on the Caribbean and Indonesia. It engages in research that is theoretically informed, comparative and empirically strong. Research on both regions focusses on contemporary socio-political developments, as well as on historical themes.

KITLV completed large-scale projects on the ecological history of Southeast Asia and the decolonizaton of the Dutch Caribbean and has started or will begin new research on the impact of decentralization on Indonesia, new directions  in Indonesian historiography, post-colonial migration, and an analysis of the state in Suriname. A major KNAW-funded project on the politics and economy of provincial Indonesia, with special emphasis on the role of the youth, will run from 2006 until 2010.

As well as striving to work on projects together with other institutes, the department stimulates individual projects on scientific topics. There are regularly senior fellowships and junior research positions within specific projects advertised on the KITLV website, and it also facilitates affiliated fellowships.