Organization
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.
High-quality books and journals
In the past century and a half KITLV Press has published hundreds of titles. In its field of specialization – academic books about anthropology, history, and the languages and literature of Indonesia – the Press is an international leader. More than twenty titles per year, most in English by authors worldwide, attest to its status. The Press publishes Caribbean titles besides. Collaborative arrangements with publishers and distributors in the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia help to ensure that its titles reach all corners of the world.
Bijdragen tot Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, which has appeared since 1851, is one of the oldest journals of its kind, and despite its name, is published in English. The Caribbean share of KITLV journals is represented by the New West Indian Guide, along with the Dutch-language OSO; Tijdschrift voor Surinamistiek.
KITLV is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam.
