by Dulce van Vliet. This article examines a historical dataset of Indonesian pilgrims traveling to Mecca between 1851 and 2016 to reflect upon the epistemological and political dimensions of quantification. Drawing on debates in digital humanities and critical data studies, it makes the case that quantitative historical data, and statistics in particular, are neither self-evident…

By Maite van Den Borre. This paper examines the enduring colonial legacies embedded in the tin mining industry of Bangka and Belitung, Indonesia. While tin is increasingly framed as essential to global sustainability transitions, particularly in the Global North, this paper argues that such narratives obscure the structurally unequal and environmentally destructive realities of extraction.…

By Frank Veraart, Maliene Kip, Janine Glas and Dulce van Vliet. Dutch harbours became key notes in European foreign fat supply in the twentieth century. These imports of oils and fats have had significant economic, social and environmental impacts worldwide. Demand for these resources was driven by food industries, intensive livestock farming and fossil fuel…