Subversive Seas: Anticolonial Networks across the Twentieth-Century Dutch Empire

The Dutch Empire was a powerful empire that relied on shipping, port cities, and maritime culture to maintain its control. Port cities such as Jeddah, Shanghai, and Batavia became important centers of opposition to Dutch imperialism, and the Dutch government and shipping companies attempted to secure oceanic spaces and maintain hegemony abroad through a web of control. This innovative study exposes how anti-colonialism was shaped not only within the terrestrial confines of metropole and colony, but across the transoceanic spaces in between.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 25 April 2019
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This captivating portrayal of the Dutch Empire transforms our perception of modern empires, shifting our focus from terrestrial to oceanic realms. It underscores the vital role of shipping, port cities, and maritime culture in the political battles of the 1920s and 30s. Port cities like Jeddah, Shanghai, and Batavia emerged as hubs for the dissemination of nationalism, communism, pan-Islamism, and pan-Asianism, serving as significant centers of resistance against Dutch imperialism. In response to escalating maritime threats, the Dutch government and shipping companies implemented a complex web of control to secure oceanic spaces and maintain their hegemony abroad. Techniques included the establishment of maritime policing networks, close collaboration with British and French surveillance entities ashore, and the enforcement of segregation on ships, aimed at instilling a sense of hierarchy among those on board. This groundbreaking study unveils how anti-colonialism was intricately woven not only within the terrestrial boundaries of metropoles and colonies but also across the vast transoceanic spaces in between.

Weight: 654g
Dimension: 160 x 234 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108472029