Klub Buku: The Colonial Illusion & Banned from Java

• Date: 10 May 14:00 - 17:00
• Location: Museum Sophiahof

Friday, May 10, 2024 During Klub Buku, we will present no less than two poignant books "The Colonial Illusion" by Jan Folkerts and "Banished from Java" by Margreet Van Till.

The Colonial Illusion

After the dissolution of the United East India Company (VOC), a new colonial state emerged in what is now Indonesia at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Ideas from the European Enlightenment clashed hard with the reality of the Indian archipelago. The inhabitants and the last remaining independent sultanates offered passive and active resistance to the colonial rulers.

The central figure of the new colonial policy was Herman Warner Muntinghe. He was the chief advisor to Herman Willem Daendels, Thomas Stamford Raffles and Godert van der Capellen. A native of Groningen, Muntinghe was one of the most fascinating and eccentric figures in Dutch colonial history. His idea that the colony was not only there for the mother country, but also the other way around, initially found much resonance, but in the end the main thing was to make money.

After 1823, Muntinghe's ideals disappeared into the folds of history, only to be rediscovered much later. The failure of his politics finally culminated in the devastating Java War (1825-1830), in the Culture System and also in Muntinghe's personal downfall.

Banishment from Java
Exile was a familiar punitive measure in the former colonial Dutch East Indies. In Banished from Java, we follow a number of individuals exiled by the colonial government to their final destination. For example, we discover a very elderly regent who quarreled with a European official, an Arab suspected of murder, a Javanese farmer who sold amulets, a temperamental military officer, several assertive women, and a Javanese prosecutor who acted as a whistleblower.

Their stories are not about brutal violence, but about the ruthless power of the colonial bureaucracy. The punishment of exile contributed to a culture of fear that stifled criticism and change. Unadjusted Javanese had to go to the distant Moluccas, where they were put to work on plantations. Troublesome Europeans were removed from Java or sent back to Holland. In Verbannen van Java you will learn what it meant when you disturbed the colonial peace of the Dutch East Indies in the 19th century.

About Jan Folkerts
Jan Folkerts (1953) studied early modern history in Groningen. He held a variety of positions in the heritage sector and in local government and published previously on the history of the Northern and Eastern Netherlands and on colonial New York, among other subjects. In 2023 he received his doctorate from the Free University on the biography of Herman Warner Muntinghe.

About Margreet Van Till
Margreet van Till received her doctorate from the University of Amsterdam. She then taught at this university and at the University of Groningen. In recent years she stayed in Jakarta where she did research in the Indonesian National Archives.

Klub Buku
At Klub Buku we present the latest publications related to the former Dutch East Indies. During the program you will have the unique opportunity to purchase the book (as one of the first) and have it signed.

Program & tickets
14.00 Welcome by Maarten Fornerod
14.05 Presentation Jan Folkerts: The colonial illusion
14.25 Presentation Margreet van Till: Banished from Java
14.45 Maarten Fornerod interviews both authors
15.05 Questions from the audience, moderated by Maarten Fornerod
15.20 Drinks and signing session
17.00 Museum closes

Will we see you at Klub Buku in Museum Sophiahof? A ticket costs € 10,- and this includes 1 drink and 1 snack. Order your tickets here.

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