Are we talking ‘Revolution’ or ‘Decolonization’? Where can these perspectives meet? The Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Department of History in Yogyakarta hosted a two-day workshop to discuss these questions. Gert Oostindie notes his personal impressions....
I was ill-prepared for what happened when I finally emerged from the famous ‘rolling hills’ of Tuscany as a freshly-minted PhD in History from the European University Institute in May. Simply put, ...
My work usually focuses on the semi-villains who animate local politics. Here is a celebration of one of its heroes. As a researcher working on murky topics like corruption and violence, I usually write only about the shady types. My explorations of...
In times of disaster, we are confronted with and shocked by the disrupting impact on our daily lives. Disasters, however, also reveal and enlarge structural inequalities, and power politics that already...
Almost three weeks ago Hurricane Irma raged in full force over many Caribbean islands and Florida. It was the largest category-5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, breaking all known ...
I had a dream. Last week, there was a big party in Leiden’s cathedral, the Pieterskerk. There, an international community of esteemed scholars and enlightened visitors had flocked together to celebrate the event...
While many Dutch people know about Mandarin and Cantonese, few are familiar with Hokkien, an oft-neglected Chinese dialect that prevails in southern China...
“History is being erased!” So cried Donald Trump, surely no great student of history, in sudden righteous indignation earlier this week. His mass of supporters have roused themselves from perusing the aisles of Wal-Marts...
Situated in an inconspicuous residential area in the south of Surabaya, one could easily overlook one of Indonesia’s most intriguing libraries and its equally fascinating owner. Tom Hoogervorst looks back on a fruitful week of research spent at Medayu Agung...
21 June 2017 marks the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere. Dutch children still have to wait a few more weeks before their summer vacation starts, but in astronomical terms, summer officially arrives Wednesday. The difference in between...