Essay On Dutch Imperialism

The Dutch colonization of Indonesia, in particular the movement towards pasteurizing the Aceh region of Islamic radicalism, during the 1800s, represented a dramatic approach by foreign powers to instigate a level of subversive power over the Javanese people. Moreover, the actions taken by the Dutch colonial authorities and scholars impacted the inter-relations and cohesiveness of local populations in Java and preyed on vulnerabilities amongst community groups and neighbors over what was perceived as a threat to their colonial authority. In fact, it can be argued that the Islamic threat from the Middle East, perceived by the Dutch authorities, was a result of agitation over the lack of control the administration had in the region and feared a hostile insurgency from Hajj pilgrims leaving and returning from Mecca. Referencing Michael Luffans’ journal Colonizing Islam and The Wester-Oriented Project of Indies Nationhood, an analysis of the interventions partaken by Dutch authorities to provide a solution to the “Islam …show more content…
And it was this large Muslim population that played a large part in the Dutch’s fear of revolt and political undermining. To add concern, the Dutch authorities feared what it believed were radical ideologies being transported by pilgrims to and from Mecca, believing that these new ideologies would destabilize the Dutch political sphere of influence. Further, the Islamic ulama, teachers of thought who were able to remain financially independent from the Dutch economy, were being protected by the population (Laffan 80). To address these concerns the Dutch instigated a large program of networks and alliances amongst rival social, economic, and political classes to institute policies of control and power, especially after the Banten Jihad in 1888 which exposed the shortcomings of the Dutch authorities knowledge base (Laffan