1st Edition

Decolonising the Caribbean Dutch Policies in a Comparative Perspective

By Inge Klinkers, Gert Oostindie Copyright 2003
292 Pages
by Routledge

Much has been written on the post-war decolonisation in the Caribbean, but rarely from a truly comparative perspective, and seldom with serious attention to the former Dutch colonies of Surinam, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. This study bridges both gaps. In their analysis of Dutch decolonisation policies since the 1940s, the authors discuss not only political processes, but also development... Read more
Acknowledgements, Introduction, 1. The Comparative Context: Fragmentation of the British West Indies and the Remnants of Empire, The Colonial Period, The Failure of the West Indian Federation, Re-engagement: The Overseas Territories, 2. The Comparative Context: The French départements d'outre-mer, Grandeur and Civilisation at a Price, The Colonial Period, Decolonisation through Integration, Assimilation à la française, 3. The Comparative Context: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Deadlocks in American Geopolitics, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s Status Debate,4 The U.S. Virgin Islands: Unincorporated Territory, 4. Dutch Rule in the Caribbean up until 1940: Careless Colonialism, Failed Exploitation, Colonial Administration, Cultural Divides, 5. The Dismantling of the Dutch Empire, 1940-1954, World War II, Powerless Dutch Colonialism and the Atlantic Charter, In the Shadow of Indonesia, The Round-Table Conferences, The Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 1954, 6. The Failed Attempt at Model Decolonisation, 1954-1975, Exploring the Charter’s Margins, Turning Point: The 1969 Curaçao Revolt,97 Negotiating the Independence of Suriname,103 The Antillean Refusal, 7. The Perpetuation of the Transatlantic Kingdom since 1975, The Aruban Status Aparte, A New Dutch Agenda for the 1990s, Deadlocks and the Margins of Autonomy, Into the Twenty-First Century,8. Illusions and Benefits of ‘Reciprocal Assistance’: Development Aid,Towards Structural Aid, 1954-1975, Aid to the Antilles and Aruba since 1975: Structural or Finite?,164 AComparative Perspective, 9.A Caribbean Exodus ,Prelude, 1954-1973,The Independence of Suriname and the Exodus, 1973-1980, The Antillean Exodus of the 1990s, A Comparative Perspective, 10. Cultural Exchange, Proximity and Distance, Dutch Passport, Dutch Language? Reciprocal Cultural Exchange? A Comparative Perspective, 11. Epilogue,216 Dutch Caribbean Decolonisation in a Nutshell, Caribbean Decolonisation: a Tentative Balance Sheet, What Kind of Kingdom? The Future, Notes, Bibliography, Indexes.

Biography

Gert Oostindie is director of the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV) in Leiden and professor of Caribbean history at Leiden University.