Utrecht University and Colonial Knowledge : Exploration, Exploitation and the Civilising Mission Since 1636.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

van Rinsum, Henk.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (354 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press, 2025.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In his book, Henk van Rinsum provides an in-depth description of the colonial past of Utrecht University in the Netherlands since its foundation in 1636. He describes the development of (scientific) knowledge and knowledge transfer about and in the Dutch colonies, especially in the Dutch East Indies. The central theme of his book is the idea of Western superiority - the assumption that we are 'developed' and therefore modern, while those in the colonies are 'not (yet) developed' and therefore primitive or traditional. This colonial past is also the framework in which Utrecht University became involved in slavery and its abolition. Henk van Rinsum shows how the knowledge acquired in the colony also contributed significantly to the scientific development of the university, especially towards the end of the nineteenth century. Utrecht University and Colonial Knowledge is therefore an important contribution to both colonial and intellectual history.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Table of contents

FOREWORD

1 INTRODUCTION: UNIVERSITY, KNOWLEDGE & THE COLONIES

2 CONFESSION & CONVERSION (1636-...)

3 EXPLORATION & CLASSIFICATION (c. 1636-1850)

4 EXPERIMENTATION & EXPLOITATION (1850-1950)

5 HONORARY DOCTORATES FOR (COLONIAL) THINKERS AND DOERS (1815-1940)

6 UTRECHT UNIVERSITY & SLAVERY

7 TRAINING & CONTROL (1925-1950): THE ‘OIL FACULTY

8 LEGACY OF THE ‘OIL FACULTY’

9 EDUCATION IN THE COLONY

10 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (1950-1990): ETHICAL POLITICS REVISITED?

11 IN RETROSPECT: KNOWLEDGE, POWER & SUPERIORITY

12 LOOKING AHEAD: TOWARDS A DECOLONIAL UNIVERSITY?

NOTES

LITERATURE

IMAGE CREDITS

INDEX OF PERSONS

INDEX OF PLACES AND THINGS

CURRICULUM VITAE

Notes:

This eBook is made available Open Access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-003-72367-5

90-485-6798-X

9781003723677

OCLC:

1499965072