The colonial state of mind : Postcolonial relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia, Nijmegen and Surabaya

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2012-06
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en
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This bachelor thesis deals with the question which influences historical and geographical characteristics in Nijmegen and Surabaya have on how respectively people from Nijmegen and Surabaya look back and interpret the colonial time in defining their view on the current relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia. In both my own experience in Indonesia as for the upcoming media attention lately it is noticeable that the relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia, regarding the Dutch colonial period in retrospect, is getting interesting. After a long period of Dutch occupation in Indonesia till approximately 1949, present collaboration between both nations intensified over the last few years. Leaving question marks regarding their relationship during the period of the so-­‐called ‘decolonisation’ from 1949 till 2012. This interesting development raises certain questions and arouses curiosity, on personal level, about the mind set from the present towards the Dutch colonial time. From both the Dutch and the Indonesian perspective it is a fascinating issue. In regard of the colonial time you will find certain geographical characteristics with historical relevance in both cities, focusing on Nijmegen in the Netherlands and Surabaya in Indonesia. In writing this thesis I want to find out what the Indonesians and the Dutch think of each other in the context of the Dutch colonial time. Interesting is the question how these people interpret their history on this matter and how physical geographical objects with historical relevance in the direct environment, as for example architecture, influence their mind set. These current developments make the discussion of a present colonial relationship very urgent in both social and scientific interest. Dutch colonial influences still could have visible present characteristics that refer to the colonial history between both countries. This raises the question if there is still any colonial thought and influence recognizable? In this respect I studied whether certain geographical characteristics have influence on how the Indonesian people look back and interpret the colonial time and thus their current view and opinion about the Dutch, and vice versa. The goal of this research is to develop theories and insights on how citizens from Nijmegen and Surabaya, in presence of historical and geographical characteristics, look back on the colonial time by defining their view on the current relation between the Indonesians and the Dutch.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen