Networks of Empire: Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company (Studies in Comparative World History)

Ward argues that the Dutch East India Company empire manifested itself through multiple networks that amalgamated spatially and over time into an imperial web whose sovereignty was effectively created and maintained but always partial and contingent. Networks of Empire proposes that early modern empires were comprised of durable networks of trade, administration, settlement, legality, and migration whose regional circuits and territorially and institutionally based nodes of regulatory power operated not only on land and sea but discursively as well. Rights of sovereignty were granted to the Company by the States General in the United Provinces. Company directors in Europe administered the exercise of sovereignty by Company servants in its chartered domain. The empire developed in dynamic response to challenges waged by individuals and other sovereign entities operating within the Indian Ocean grid. By closely examining the Dutch East India Company's network of forced migration this book explains how empires are constituted through the creation, management, contestation, devolution and reconstruction of these multiple and intersecting fields of partial sovereignty. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 List of Maps......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 15 1 Networks of Empire and Imperial Sovereignty......Page 19 Defining Imperial Networks......Page 24 Split Sovereignties in the Evolution of the VOC Empire......Page 32 Defining Legal Identities......Page 35 Historiographies of Empire and Nation......Page 43 Migration and the Peopling of Empire......Page 47 Organization of this Book......Page 59 2 The Evolution of Governance and Forced Migration......Page 67 The VOC Charter......Page 69 From Company Charter to Company Empire......Page 73 Shifting Fortunes of Trade Networks and Territorial Nodes......Page 75 Communication and Administration in the VOC......Page 82 Structures of Government and Law in the VOC......Page 84 The Statutes of Batavia and the Principles of Jurisprudence......Page 88 Company Law and Indigenous Law......Page 92 Company Personnel: Incapacitation and Incarceration......Page 95 Slave Trades in the Indian Ocean and VOC Slavery......Page 99 3 Crime and Punishment in Batavia, circa 1730 to 1750......Page 103 Status and Crime in Batavia......Page 104 The City of Batavia......Page 108 Batavia’s Inner City and Hinterland Population......Page 113 The Chinese Massacre and Batavia’s Decline......Page 116 Batavian Courts in the Mid-Eighteenth Century......Page 120 Penal Transportation to the Cape......Page 134 The VOC Network of Penal Transportation and Exile......Page 142 4 The Cape Cauldron: Strategic Site in Transoceanic Imperial Networks......Page 145 Ships at the Cape before the VOC Settlement......Page 146 The “Caabse Vlek” – The Cape Village......Page 149 The Cape’s Southwest Indian Ocean Sub-Circuit......Page 164 Free and Forced Migration and Sojourns at the Cape......Page 167 Consolidation of Company Control at the Cape......Page 170 VOC-Khoekhoe Relations to the End of the Seventeenth Century......Page 176 The Van der Stel Dispute......Page 182 Cape Town as a Transoceanic Port City......Page 187 Tavern of the Seas......Page 193 5 Company and Court Politics in Java: Islam and Exile at the Cape......Page 197 Performative Practice, Contracts, and the Culture of Legality......Page 198 Exile as a Tool of Empire......Page 203 Court Politics: The Protocols of Exile......Page 205 The Java-Makassar-Cape Nexus......Page 212 Shaykh Yusuf in Islamic and Company Networks......Page 217 Javanese Royalty at the Cape......Page 230 Returning Exiles: Cape Islam and Javanese Politics......Page 240 Exile and Islam at the Cape......Page 249 6 Forced Migration and Cape Colonial Society......Page 257 Contours of Colonial Society at the Cape......Page 260 The Cape Government’s Response to Forced Migration......Page 262 Crime and Punishment at the Cape in the Mid-Eighteenth Century......Page 266 Bandieten and Bannelingen at the Cape......Page 276 The Company Caffers......Page 282 Robben Island as a Place of Banishment......Page 287 Status, Ethnicity, and Transgression on Robben Island......Page 288 Shifting Security Priorities......Page 298 7 Disintegrating Imperial Networks......Page 301 The Barbier Rebellion......Page 305 The Emergence of the Cape Patriots......Page 308 From Dutch East India Company Empire to British Empire......Page 315 Networks of Empire......Page 317 Cape Town Archive Repository (CA) – Cape Town, South Africa......Page 327 Nationaal Archief (NA) – The Hague, The Netherlands......Page 328 Published Primary Sources......Page 329 Select Secondary Sources......Page 332 Index......Page 349 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Dedication 9 Contents 11 List of Maps 13 Acknowledgments 15 1 Networks of Empire and Imperial Sovereignty 19 Defining Imperial Networks 24 Split Sovereignties in the Evolution of the VOC Empire 32 Defining Legal Identities 35 Historiographies of Empire and Nation 43 Migration and the Peopling of Empire 47 Organization of this Book 59 2 The Evolution of Governance and Forced Migration 67 The VOC Charter 69 From Company Charter to Company Empire 73 Shifting Fortunes of Trade Networks and Territorial Nodes 75 Communication and Administration in the VOC 82 Structures of Government and Law in the VOC 84 The Statutes of Batavia and the Principles of Jurisprudence 88 Company Law and Indigenous Law 92 Company Personnel: Incapacitation and Incarceration 95 Slave Trades in the Indian Ocean and VOC Slavery 99 3 Crime and Punishment in Batavia, circa 1730 to 1750 103 Status and Crime in Batavia 104 The City of Batavia 108 Batavia’s Inner City and Hinterland Population 113 The Chinese Massacre and Batavia’s Decline 116 Batavian Courts in the Mid-Eighteenth Century 120 Penal Transportation to the Cape 134 The VOC Network of Penal Transportation and Exile 142 4 The Cape Cauldron: Strategic Site in Transoceanic Imperial Networks 145 Ships at the Cape before the VOC Settlement 146 The “Caabse Vlek” – The Cape Village 149 The Cape’s Southwest Indian Ocean Sub-Circuit 164 Free and Forced Migration and Sojourns at the Cape 167 Consolidation of Company Control at the Cape 170 VOC-Khoekhoe Relations to the End of the Seventeenth Century 176 The Van der Stel Dispute 182 Cape Town as a Transoceanic Port City 187 Tavern of the Seas 193 5 Company and Court Politics in Java: Islam and Exile at the Cape 197 Performative Practice, Contracts, and the Culture of Legality 198 Exile as a Tool of Empire 203 Court Politics: The Protocols of Exile 205 The Java-Makassar-Cape Nexus 212 Shaykh Yusuf in Islamic and Company Networks 217 Javanese Royalty at the Cape 230 Returning Exiles: Cape Islam and Javanese Politics 240 Exile and Islam at the Cape 249 6 Forced Migration and Cape Colonial Society 257 Contours of Colonial Society at the Cape 260 The Cape Government’s Response to Forced Migration 262 Crime and Punishment at the Cape in the Mid-Eighteenth Century 266 Bandieten and Bannelingen at the Cape 276 The Company Caffers 282 Robben Island as a Place of Banishment 287 Status, Ethnicity, and Transgression on Robben Island 288 Shifting Security Priorities 298 7 Disintegrating Imperial Networks 301 The Barbier Rebellion 305 The Emergence of the Cape Patriots 308 From Dutch East India Company Empire to British Empire 315 Networks of Empire 317 Bibliography 327 Archival Sources 327 Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia (ANRI) – Jakarta, Indonesia 327 Cape Town Archive Repository (CA) – Cape Town, South Africa 327 Nationaal Archief (NA) – The Hague, The Netherlands 328 Unpublished Primary Sources 329 Published Bibliographies 329 Published Primary Sources 329 Select Secondary Sources 332 Index 349 This book argues that the Dutch East India Company empire manifested itself through multiple networks that amalgamated spatially and over time into an imperial web whose sovereignty was effectively created and maintained but always partial and contingent. Networks of Empire proposes that early modern empires were comprised of durable networks of trade, administration, settlement, legality, and migration whose regional circuits and territorially and institutionally based nodes of regulatory power operated not only on land and sea but discursively as well. Rights of sovereignty were granted to the company by the States General in the United Provinces. Company directors in Europe administered the exercise of sovereignty by company servants in its chartered domain. The empire developed in dynamic response to challenges waged by individuals and other sovereign entities operating within the Indian Ocean grid. By closely examining the Dutch East India Company's network of forced migration this book explains how empires are constituted through the creation, management, contestation, devolution and reconstruction of these multiple and intersecting fields of partial sovereignty. "Kerry Ward argues that the Dutch East India Company empire manifested itself through multiple networks that amalgamated spatially and over time into an imperial web whose sovereignty was effectively created and maintained but always partial and contingent. Networks of Empire proposes that early modern empires consisted of durable networks of trade, administration, settlement, legality, and migration whose regional circuits and territorially and institutionally based nodes of regulatory power operated not only on land and sea but discursively as well." "By closely examining the Dutch East India Company's network of forced migration, this book explains how empires are constituted through the creation, management, contestation, devolution, and reconstruction of these multiple and intersecting fields of partial sovereignty."--BOOK JACKET