The Dutch Empire, 1575 to the Present. A Global History
This book project is designed as a synthetic history of the Dutch empire from its beginnings in the early modern period up until the present. It combines and integrates trajectories that are commonly treated separately in that it brings together both the early modern period and modern and contemporary history. It also looks at different spatial contexts that are often treated separately, i.e. the Indian ocean, the South China Sea, and the Atlantic. Intended for a German-speaking audience, the book will discuss the rise of capitalism, the evolution of a global trading system, and the transformation of a merchant's empire into a territorialized system of governance. While its point of departure is Europe, it traces interactions between peoples and cultures across the globe. The project is inspired as much by approaches of global history as it is grounded in the social, cultural, legal, economic, military and political histories of empires. The book project reflects my interests in the histories of Southeast Asia, Surinam, the Dutch Atlantic, and the Netherlands.
Nature of the project:
Individual book project
Duration:
2017-