Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies

The KITLV / Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies has specialized in collecting information and advancing research on the present and former Dutch colonies and their surroundings since 1851. Today it is an authoritative research institute focussing on Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, and the Caribbean, especially Suriname, the Dutch Antilles and Aruba. Our collections, publications and research encompass the humanities and the social sciences, ranging from colonial history to present-day social issues. KITLV houses sizeable and diverse collections, a leading publishing unit, and changing research projects. ==Our diverse collections== More than half a million books, journals, magazines and newspapers, tens of thousands of photos, picture postcards, prints and drawings, maps and atlases, but also Oriental and Western manuscripts and archives and audiovisual material: these may be found in KITLV’s unique collections. Around three-quarters of material in the collections pertains to Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, and one-tenth to the Caribbean, the rest of it being from or about Oceania and other parts of Asia and the Americas. Most of this material is available in online catalogues and the greater part is from the relevant regions, written in, for example, Indonesian, Papiamento and Sranantongo, as well as West-European languages. ==Innovative research== KITLV initiates and coordinates innovative research on the Caribbean and Indonesia. Research on both regions focusses on contemporary socio-political developments, as well as on historical themes. As well as striving to initiate and coordinate projects together with other institutes, the department stimulates individual projects on specific topics. There are regularly senior fellowships and junior research positions within specific projects advertised on the KITLV website, and the department also facilitates affiliated fellowships. See also: The Atlantic World and the Dutch (AWAD) (Project) The Atlantic World and the Dutch, 1500-2000 (Project) Valentyn and increasing accessibilty (Project) Dutch Colonialism, Migration and Cultural Heritage (Publication) David Henly (Expert)