Being “Dutch” in the Indies: A History of Creolisation and Empire, 1500-1920 (Ohio RIS Southeast Asia Series)

International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) Book Prize
Shortlist Social Sciences


Being “Dutch” in the Indies portrays Dutch colonial territories in Asia not as mere societies under foreign occupation but rather as a “Creole empire.” In telling the story of the Creole empire, the authors draw on government archives, newspapers, and literary works as well as genealogical studies that follow the fortunes of individual families over several generations. They also critically analyze theories relating to culturally and racially mixed communities. The picture of the Indies they develop shatters conventional understandings of colonial rule in Asia.