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02-10-2025

This PhD project, carried out by Imelda Hoebes, examines the religious lives of enslaved people in the Dutch Cape Colony (17th–19th centuries) and explores how their spiritual practices are remembered or silenced in contemporary South Africa. Enslaved communities were subjected to Christian conversion under Dutch rule, yet they preserved and transformed their own spiritual practices, drawing on African, Asian, and Islamic influences.

01-10-2025

The Indonesian archipelago is home to hundreds of languages written in dozens of scripts. The writing traditions of these languages evolved differently and shifted in their use of scripts. To mention one, historically, the Malay language used to be written in Kawi, Javanese, Ulu, and Jawi scripts. Nonetheless, like most local languages in Indonesia, it tended to shift to Latin script post-independence of Indonesa.

01-10-2025

Despite being prohibited by law since 1971, race discrimination continues to exist in the Netherlands, making it harder for some people to find a job and increasing their likelihood of being arrested. Why is this? KITLV researcher Alison Fischer argues that white supremacy is deeply embedded in Dutch law and culture.

29-09-2025

KITLV onderzoeker Karwan Fatah-Black reflecteert in deze video op vragen over het werk van kunstenaar Dirk Valkenburg (1675-1721), een van de eerste Europeanen die inheemse en tot slaaf gemaakte mensen op Surinaamse plantages vastlegde, terwijl hij in Nederland jachtstillevens en portretten van welgestelde opdrachtgevers schilderde.

13-09-2025

The Indonesian news magazine Tempo made a short video channel in which the KITLV project on cyber troops and computational propaganda in Southeast Asia is being explained. In August the book Cyber troops: Influence operations and the future of Indonesia's democracy, a result of the project, was published in the Indonesian language.

03-09-2025

Esther Captain vertelt in het NOS Radio 1 Journaal van 2 september jl. over haar leerstoel Intergenerationele Impact Slavernij en Kolonialisme aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Hoe werken slavernij en kolonialisme door op huidige generaties? Om die vraag draait de leerstoel van Esther Captain.

04-09-2025

Ward Berenschot, politiek antropoloog verbonden aan de UVA en senior onderzoeker bij het KITLV gaat in deze Indonesië podcast in gesprek met Edwin Mooibroek over de massale anti regeringsprotesten in Indonesische steden. Er zijn verscheidene doden gevallen, alleen al in Jakarta zijn 1200 mensen opgepakt.

26-08-2025

De leerstoel van dr. Esther Captain wordt namens de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) per 1 september 2025 ondergebracht bij het Departement Geschiedenis en Kunstgeschiedenis van de Universiteit Utrecht.

English version

19-07-2025

By Adrian Perkasa: I first read about Djoko Pekik during the violent periods of Indonesian Reformasi through his iconic artwork, Indonesia 1998 berburu celeng (Indonesia 1998 Boar Hunting). His painting featured two guys hanging a boar after hunting, and hundreds, if not thousands, of people greeted them with diverse expressions. 

13-07-2025

Adrian Perkasa writes in The Conversation about Indonesia’s plan to rewrite its official national history was initially met with positive responses, particularly for its goal of better serving the younger generation. But the project to reshape the country’s mainstream historical narrative soon ignited widespread controversy for overlooking underrepresented groups and reinforcing authoritarian tendencies.

16-07-2025

KITLV invites scholars working in the fields of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies to apply for a Visiting Fellowship. Candidates are invited to send in a proposal of the work they wish to carry out while at KITLV. Fellows may work on a publication or research project of their own choice.

08-07-2025

KITLV director Diana Suhardiman underlined in an interview on beritajatim.com the relevance of ecological history, focusing on its role as key methodological approach to understand how human, non-human, environment relations evolve over time.