Closer Ties: the Dutch Caribbean and the Aftermath of Empire, 1942-2012

City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2017 Closer Ties: The Dutch Caribbean and the Aftermath of Empire, 1942-2012 Chelsea Schields The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1993 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] CLOSER TIES: THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN AND THE AFTERMATH OF EMPIRE, 1942-2012 by CHELSEA SCHIELDS A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2017 © 2017 CHELSEA SCHIELDS All Rights Reserved ii Closer Ties: The Dutch Caribbean and the Aftermath of Empire, 1942-2012 by Chelsea Schields This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Dagmar Herzog ______________________ _________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Helena Rosenblatt ______________________ _________________________________________ Date Executive Officer Professor Mary Roldán Professor Joan Scott Professor Todd Shepard Professor Gary Wilder Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract Closer Ties: The Dutch Caribbean and the Aftermath of Empire, 1942-2012 by Chelsea Schields Advisor: Professor Dagmar Herzog This dissertation examines the unique trajectory of decolonization in the Netherlands and its former Caribbean colonies and argues that sexual and reproductive politics have played a pivotal role in forging a postcolonial commonwealth state. Using sexual politics as a lens, “Closer Ties” explores how postcolonial ties between the Netherlands and its former Caribbean dependencies have strengthened rather than severed in the aftermath of colonial rule. This alternative ending of empire challenges the assumed trajectory of decolonization and locates the drama of imperial dissolution in debates over sexual and reproductive rights in Europe. Looking to the circuits of trans-Atlantic exchange across the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a commonwealth state linking the Netherlands and six Dutch Antillean islands, “Closer Ties” explores the remarkable investment in knowledge production, development aid and social welfare that emerged only at empire’s end, and views related debates on sexual politics as sites where Dutch power is both exercised and contested. As this dissertation demonstrates, preoccupation with the perceived conjugal norms, gender roles and sexuality of Antillean Dutch has undergirded drastic changes to the geography of the Dutch state and notions of citizenship, variously justifying both the expansion and the retrenchment of Dutch boundaries, aid, and social services. In this process, and however paradoxically, trans-Atlantic exchange has intensified. By viewing decolonization not as a parting of ways, but rather as a strengthening of ties, this dissertation will contribute to a reconceptualization of the end of empire and its aftermath. iv Acknowledgements In the many years that I have spent researching and writing this dissertation, numerous individuals and institutions have nurtured my interests and stimulated my thinking on the issues raised here. While any errors in this work are unquestionably my own, this project would be inconceivable without the support of friends, family, and other interlocutors I have encountered over the past six years. I wish to thank them all at length. At the CUNY Graduate Center, I have benefited from exchanges with faculty and students in the History Program. In particular, I thank my advisor, Professor Dagmar Herzog. Professor Herzog has offered incisive comments on this project at every stage of its development and has supported my intellectual growth in every way. Her insights on the histories of gender and sexuality and her keen ability to make sense of the contradictions and incoherencies of the past have inspired my analysis of the Kingdom and my worldview more broadly. Her attentive reading of everything from conference papers and grant applications to a plethora of panicked emails has edified and reassured me over the past six years. I am grateful for her continued mentorship and for her example of scholarly rigor. Professor Mary Roldán has helped me to draw pivotal connections between the Dutch Antilles and the wider Americas and has provided invaluable feedback on the intellectual substance of this dissertation as well as on matters of professional development. Professor Herman Bennett inspired my interest in the Atlantic world and championed my research from an early date. Professor Benjamin Hett taught me much about scholarly integrity and the importance of careful research. The members of my committee, Professors Joan Scott, Todd Shepard, and Gary Wilder, have donated their expertise and rich theoretical insights on numerous occasions. I thank them for guiding my thinking and analysis. My peers in the departments of History and Anthropology have offered useful comments on various parts of this project. In History, Megan Brown, Christopher Ewing, Jonathan Hill, Timothy Scott Johnson, Diana Moore, Glen Olson, Andrew Shield, Seçil Yilmaz and Gregory Zucker have been good friends and intellectual interlocutors. Participants in the Global History and Political Futures seminar at the Graduate Center inspired new conceptual and methodological approaches. I thank especially Neil Agarwal, Lydia Brassard, Mark Drury, Samuel Fury Childs Daly, Mohamad Junaid and Professors Gary Wilder and Julie Skurski. I owe a special debt to Kyle Francis, whose friendship has sustained me during the long haul to completion. His close reading of draft chapters and his patient replies to my long-winded emails have brought valued clarity to this project. In many important ways, this project began and ended at my alma mater, Goucher College. My undergraduate advisor, Robert Beachy, introduced me to the history of sexuality and inspired me to become an historian. Since then, Robert has remained an invaluable mentor and a good friend. In 2014, I was delighted to return as a faculty member to Goucher, where the support of my colleagues has helped me to bring this project to a conclusion. I am especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Matt Hale, who pushed me as a student to be a better writer and sharper researcher. As a colleague, Matt has continued to provide vital feedback. James Dator, Evan Dawley and Uta Larkey contributed astute comments on draft chapters and job talks. Their friendship has helped me to navigate the transition from graduate school to the working world. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resources supported a year of my research and provided helpful advice along the way. In the Netherlands, the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) at the University of Amsterdam v served as my institutional home. I thank the Program Group in Political Sociology and the Amsterdam Research Center for Gender and Sexuality (ARC-GS) for warmly welcoming me. Professors Jan Willem Duyvendak, Christian Bröer and Rachel Spronk, and Ph.D. students Bert de Graaf, Myra Bosman, Katharina Natter and Robby Davidson involved me in the intellectual and social life of the university. Rosemarijn Hoefte invited me to be affiliated with the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV), where I had the rare pleasure of interacting with other scholars of the Dutch Caribbean. At KITLV, Rosemarijn directed me to important research sites and individuals. Fridus Steijlen deepened my understanding of the history of immigration to the Netherlands, and Jessica Roitman and the rest of the Confronting Caribbean Challenges team welcomed me as an honorary member. On Curaçao, Margo Groenewoud and Lianne Leonora helped me to locate important primary sources and encouraged me to approach this topic from new angles. Gladys do Rego-Kuster shared her time, stories, and access to her personal papers. Much remains to be said about her role on the island, but I hope to have done her activism justice here. Nuzaira Scharbaai offered valuable assistance during my numerous visits to the National Archive of Curaçao. On Aruba, Luc Alofs led me to crucial sources and enriched my understanding of the island’s history. Nelson Thiel did marvelous detective work and recovered important documents at the Archivo Nacional of Aruba. Friends outside of academe ensured that my life remained dynamic and rich beyond research. In New York, Sarah Foster supported me in every imaginable way, from taking care of my dog while I traveled to conferences to feeding me when I exhausted my graduate student stipend. Words cannot capture the extent of her generosity over the past fifteen years of our friendship. Sam Garrett believed in me during moments of doubt and struggle and he has celebrated my accomplishments as if they were his own. In the Netherlands, the kindness of numerous individuals has cultivated my interest in the country’s culture and history. Fourteen years ago, Janke Geertsma and Gauke Kooistra opened their home to an American high school exchange student. They taught me Dutch and

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