Dishing up Colonialism An Innovative Curatorial Approach to Dutch Colonial History

This essay discusses an innovative curatorial approach to Dutch colonial history, epitomized by the online exhibition 'From Cartography to Cookbooks. A Web of Dutch Colonialism', on view on the website of the Allard Pierson Museum from 28 January to 31 December 2021. The exhibition was curated by students enrolled in the graduate course Museum Studies at the University of Amsterdam, under supervision of Colin Sterling and Laurien de Gelder. Through a selection of seemingly plain objects--maps and cookbooks--the exhibition addresses a complex and highly charged subject: the history of Dutch colonialism in the so-called East-Indies. The exhibition unravels the 'web of Dutch Colonianism', which is analyzed by means of three characteristic dichotomies: public verus private, nature versus culture, male versus female. The exhibition also addresses positionality as an important aspect of cultural and scholarly production. It is distinguished by a high degree of self-reflection and transparency.