My PhD thesis investigates identity among unacknowledged biracial persons from colonial Indonesia from 1925 – in other words, illegitimate children of Dutch men and Indonesian women. This research stems from a footnote in my Honours thesis, completed at the University of Queensland in 2019, which was in turn partly inspired by the book De tolk van Java by Alfred Birney. 

The project I undertook at the Library, ‘Subject or Citizen? Unacknowledged Biracial Children in Colonial Indonesia (1816-1942)’, investigated the legal position of these individuals. Specifically, I wanted to find out if they were Dutch citizens or Dutch subjects.

Using the Indonesian Collection

I wanted to research at the National Library because of its collection about colonial Indonesia. I hoped the collection of law statutes would provide answers to questions I had regarding citizenship and subject-hood in colonial Indonesia.

I was quite surprised to discover just how much material the Library holds about legislation in colonial Indonesia. The Dutch East Indies government was disbanded 80-something years ago, yet the Library’s collection contains an incredible number of law books and gazettes issued by the colonial government There are also many maps, journals and more from the colonial period.

An unexpected discovery

Something not directly related to my project was the discovery that in colonial Indonesia, Chinese were not required to register their births, deaths or marriages until 1919. I came across this when reading Patricia Tjiook-Liem’s book Chinezen uit Indonesië so while this is not a novel discovery, it was new to me. In fact, it was a lightbulb moment for me: it instantly explained why, despite years of searching, I hadn’t been able to find birth certificates for 4 members of a particular family.These documents simply didn’t exist!

I have found a birth certificate for the youngest child in this family, and this information also explained why that person did have a birth certificate while their older siblings did not. The youngest was born in 1925, after the requirement for registration of births came into force, while the elder 4 siblings were born before 1919.   

What’s next?

The findings from my project at the Library will form part of Chapter One of my PhD thesis. Delving into the collection materials has also given me ideas about future research directions, so watch this space!

Dive into the collection and bring it to life

I recommend an NLA Scholarship to other PhD students for multiple reasons. One, the Library’s collection is vast and there is sure to be material in it that’s relevant to your research. Two, the Library’s staff are incredibly knowledgeable about the collections and tapping into that knowledge will also benefit your research. Three, the scholarships are a funded opportunity to spend 6 weeks immersed in primary sources. Four, the Library’s collections are brought to life by our research. So get going! You never know what you’re going to find.