Repentance and Reappraisal

In this introduction to a special issue on the history of anti-abolitionism in the Netherlands, the 160th anniversary of the Dutch abolition of slavery is discussed in relation to the culture of commemoration in the Netherlands and the international historiography of abolition. A reappraisal of the role of the State in the commemoration of slavery coincides with a more critical view of history and a change in perspective on the colonial past. The recent trend of cities and institutions investigating their ties to slavery and subsequently often apologising for centuries of compliance and collaboration necessitates a more integrated approach to the analysis of the ideas that shaped colonial policy. Each contribution in this issue adds to the rich historiography on Dutch abolitionism but redirects the attention towards politicians, governors, investors, publishers and authors who defended the trade in people and their enslavement. The case studies presented here range from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, which makes this special issue the first presentation of how the Netherlands normalised colonial slavery over more than 250 years.