The Economic Historiography of the Dutch Colonial Empire

Abstract

Colonial possessions were a source of substantial revenue for the Dutch economy for over three centuries. The histories of Dutch trading companies in the East and the West, the Cultivation System and the Dutch Atlantic slave trade have engaged dozens of historians, some of whose work belongs in the select library of the world's most signifi cant historical literature. The way in which economic historians have dealt with the key themes of Dutch colonial history, and the evolution of their perspectives, forms the subject of this overview. In the conclusion, the present fragmented state of the economic history of the Dutch colonial empire is addressed.