Ethnic ‘Ferociousness’ in Colonial Wars

Bijdragen tot de taal- land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, vol. 177, pp. 491–523

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the myths and evidence surrounding extreme violence and the framing of ‘ethnic soldiers’ as loyal and indispensable Moluccan soldiers in the Dutch army in the Indonesian War of Independence, 1945–1949. In this article, we first interrogate the origins of this framing in the Dutch–Indonesian case and the type of sources underlying this perspective. Next, we present the results of our research, which combines a study of Dutch veterans’ ego documents and oral-history projects. Based on this analysis, we reconsider both the framing and the evidence, after which we conclude with some comparative observations on ‘ethnic soldiers’ and the sources and perspectives underlying the ambivalent, but increasingly critical, framing of these men. Our methodology includes the use of digital-humanities techniques.

Authors 2

1. Gert J. Oostindie Aachen KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden

   Leiden University · Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies

   Affiliation as printed

   KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden

   Leiden University The Netherlands Leiden

   kitlv/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Fridus Steijlen Aachen KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden

   Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies

   Affiliation as printed

   KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden

   VU Amsterdam The Netherlands Amsterdam

   kitlv/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands; VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands