Our History

Since it was founded in 1851, the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde / Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) had a threefold mission consisting of: collections development and management, research and publishing academic work, mainly on Indonesia and the ‘Dutch’ Caribbean. The specific ways in which these goals were met changed tremendously during the past 160 years; as one can read in the 150th anniversary book published by Maarten Kuitenbrouwer, Between Orientalism and Science (in Dutch).

In 2012 the publishing house closed and Brill Academic Publishers took over the publication of the book series Verhandelingen, the Caribbean Series, as well as the journals BKI and NWIG. From 1 July 2014, the KITLV collections were transferred to the Leiden University Libraries (UBL). Until now the KITLV collections are still managed by the UBL.

The research institute KITLV-KNAW since 2014, is dedicated to the study of societal challenges, focusing on the histories and afterlives of colonialism in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Netherlands. Departing from a globally comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, the KITLV engages primarily with the broad themes of Mobility and Belonging; State, Violence, and Citizenship; and Climate Governance.

As from 1 July 2014, the KITLV collections are managed by Leiden University Libraries (UBL).

In 2001 KITLV Press published a book on the history of 150 years KITLV: Tussen oriëntalisme en wetenschap (Between Orientalism and Science) by Maarten Kuitenbrouwer. In 2013, the English version appeared under the title Dutch Scholarship in the Age of Empire and Beyond.