GLOBALISE - Ethnicities, Religious Groups and Castes in the Archives of the Dutch East India Company (1602-1799)

This dataset provides information on ethnicities, religious groups and castes which feature in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) archives, as well as in secondary literature which references the geographical and chronological contexts in which the VOC was active. Most of the ethnic, religious and caste categories featuring in this dataset were ascribed to individuals and groups by the VOC, hence in most cases, they do not correspond to the self-identification of the people described. Concepts in this dataset can be intricately linked to histories of (colonial) violence, enslavement and racism, and some terms have been recognised as derogatory, offensive or harmful. Still, the commonplace use of ethnic, religious and caste categories in the VOC archives and the importance of social classification in the Company’s practices make it crucial that users are well informed about the meanings and issues of these categories. This dataset is therefore created to define and contextualise them.