The research programme will be entitled Independence, Decolonization, Violence and War in Indonesia, 1945-1950.

The guiding principle behind the research programme has always been that the topics of war and violence should be placed within a broader political, social and international context. For that reason, the term Decolonization was added to its title when the programme was set up in early 2017.

However, it has transpired that this term does not fit with the programme’s intention of mapping out the dynamics of the events, taking into account the (varied) perspectives and voices of those involved. Decolonization can be understood to be a term that is primarily linked to the Dutch perspective, and that does insufficient justice to the action perspective of the Indonesian nationalists. The latter became crystal clear through contact with colleagues in Indonesia and it was therefore totally logical to the Research Group that the term Independence should be added to the title.