Abstract
In the Dutch East Indies, criminal law was very important for the establishment of the colonial state. However, the multiple cultural backgrounds of suspects and victims also made the implementation of the criminal code extremely complicated. European judges presided over the colonial courts, assisted by (indigenous) religious advisors and civil servants, and dealt with unique colonial situations incomparable with criminal cases in the mother country. Furthermore, the elite of the several ethnic groups incorporated the colonial legal system into their own power structures. Researching jurisprudence and correspondence concerning criminal law practice therefore reveals a unique insight on the complexities of maintaining order in a multi-ethnic colonial society and the interaction between the colonial state and colonial society. The proposed research intends to analyze these complexities and reveal the development of colonial criminal law practice in the Dutch East Indies from 1816 until 1918.