Historical research shows how Leiden University and city council benefitted from colonialism
Leiden University contributed to colonialism and slavery through its research and teaching. And governors and residents of Leiden had an active role in colonial networks. These are the findings of two explorative studies presented on 3 April.
Three Leiden historians spent a year researching the university and city’s historical links to colonialism and slavery in archives, sources and studies. The research was commissioned by the Executive Board of the university and the Leiden municipal council. The research team consisted of Ligia Giay, Sjoerd Ramackers, Emma Sow and lead researchers Alicia Schrikker and Ariadne Schmidt. During a special meeting at the town hall in Leiden, the researchers presented the reports to Annetje Ottow, President of the Executive Board, and Mayor Peter Heijkoop.
Explorative research on role of university
The research encompasses the start of Dutch colonial enterprises around 1600 up to the post-1945 period of decolonisation. In the report about the university, historian Ligia Giay gives numerous examples of how the university’s governors, scholars and students were active in colonial networks. The university trained theologians, lawyers, physicians, linguists and civil servants who worked in the colonies after graduating. Scholars produced knowledge about the colonies, in studies of the law or languages and cultures, for instance, which would help control the indigenous people. They also used knowledge from the colonies in their research and teaching. Giay also researched the role of physicians: some conducted research in the colonies and carried out experiments, in Dutch Guiana, for example.
From the 17th century, Leiden was an important training institution for the sons of colonial governors
Entangled with colonial elites
Giay also explains how, since its foundation in 1575, Leiden University had close links with political and economic elites in Leiden and beyond. The College van Curatoren, comprising influential members of the nobility and wealthy merchants, governed the university and determined appointments and financial strategies. Many of these administrators were also active in the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the Sociëteit van Suriname, which facilitated colonial trade and slavery.
Students as future colonial elite
From the 17th century, Leiden was also an important training institution for the sons of colonial governors and merchants. These alumni were often appointed to important posts in the colonies after graduating. From the end of the 19th century, the sons and later the daughters of affluent Indonesians and Surinamese came to study in Leiden. They formed critical networks in Leiden from the first half of the 20th century and began to spread the idea of independence from colonial rule.
Collections
The report also calls for more attention to the origins of the university collections because much is still unclear about these. Leiden scholars and collectors brought back objects, manuscripts, plants and animals from the colonies. They often purchased these, but it is not always clear under what circumstances. Physicians imported human skulls and remains, which were used in the 19th century to develop theories on race.
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Ligia Giay -
Annetje Ottow -
Emma Sow and Sjoerd Ramackers
Relationship with slavery
The university itself did not own enslaved people or shares in plantations. But according to the report, the university and its community did benefit from the wealth amassed through slavery and colonialism. Some scholars and students even had enslaved or formerly enslaved people from Suriname or Indonesia working for them as servants in Leiden.
Criticism
Knowledge sometimes served as a basis for criticism of slavery and the colonial system, says Giay. But public criticism of slavery was rare in Leiden until the mid-19th century. J.T.H. Nedermeyer received his doctoral degree in 1816 for his explicitly critical thesis on slavery. But this was the exception, and other Leiden theses on slavery were mainly about the practicalities of it, says Giay.
More research needed
The report emphasises the need for more research in areas such as the origins of the collections, the scientific research in the colonies and the financial constructions. Although the university was never directly funded by the VOC and WIC, it did benefit from colonial funds, with some bequests and benefactions deriving from colonial profits.
The university was part of a colonial society, and the question is how much room there was for a different stance. This is not easy to answer in retrospect, says Giay. However, it is clear that the university was not passive but contributed to and benefitted from the colonial system.
Explorative research on role of city
The second report, by historians Sjoerd Ramackers and Emma Sow, looks at the role of the city of Leiden and its residents. At first sight, Leiden’s involvement seems less significant than port cities like Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The explorative research shows, however, that many of Leiden’s governors actively promoted the city’s colonial interests. They worked for the Amsterdam chambers of the VOC and WIC, and acted as contact persons for Leiden investors in the colonies. Some also had private interests in the colonial trade and slavery.
Role of Leideners
Alongside the elite, ‘ordinary’ Leideners also came into contact with colonialism, slavery and colonial violence. In a job creation scheme, poor Leideners produced uniforms for the colonial army, and Leiden’s Kweekschool voor Zeevaart (a nautical school) trained underprivileged boys for the ships that sailed to the colonies. Leiden soldiers also left for the colonies to physically enforce the Dutch regime.
Response from the Executive Board
The Executive Board takes the conclusions of the preliminary research very seriously, President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow said in a first response, ‘It’s good that we now have a better picture of the university and city of Leiden’s historical ties with colonialism and slavery. We were already familiar with individual cases thanks to previous studies, but we now have an overview.’
‘Obviously, it’s confronting to see the role some of our predecessors played in this painful chapter in our history’, Ottow continued, ‘but this explorative research was absolutely necessary. As a research and teaching institution, we have an important role to play in promoting knowledge and critical reflection on this history. We can only do so if we examine our own involvement, and are incredibly grateful to Ligia Giay, Emma Sow and Sjoerd Ramackers for their work. We will carefully consider the report and will respond very soon. We will also look at what steps to take next concerning our role in colonialism and historical slavery.’