ICOMOS lezing: The afterlives of former Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia, Amstelkerk, 16 september, 19.30 uur

Dear members and heritage enthusiasts,

We are pleased to invite you to our monthly ICOMOS Lecture Evening, taking place on Wednesday, 16 September.

This evening will focus on the afterlives of former Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia, with particular attention to the Banda Islands and several cities in Java. Joëlla van Donkersgoed, public historian and heritage researcher, and Remco Vermeulen, external PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will share their experiences and perspectives on this topic.

We hope to welcome you on 16 September!

The Lectures Committee
Ankie Peterses, Anna Louwerse, Daan Lavies, Emma Egberts, Jean-Paul Corten, Milou Derksen, en Remco Vermeulen

ICOMOS NL Lezing 16 September 2026 Dear members and heritage enthusiasts,  We are pleased to invite you to our monthly ICOMOS Lecture Evening, taking place on Wednesday, 16 September. This evening will focus on the afterlives of former Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia, with particular attention to the Banda Islands and several cities in Java. Joëlla van Donkersgoed, public historian and heritage researcher, and Remco Vermeulen, external PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will share their experiences and perspectives on this topic. We hope to welcome you on 16 September! The Lectures Committee Ankie Peterses, Anna Louwerse, Daan Lavies, Emma Egberts, Jean-Paul Corten, Milou Derksen, en Remco Vermeulen The afterlives of former Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia Programme: 18h30 Meal  19h30 Introduction by Remco Vermeulen  19h35 Book presentation ‘Navigating Polyvocal Heritage in a Postcolonial Cultural Landscape: Banda Islands, Indonesia’ by Joëlla van Donkersgoed 20h00 Q&A 20h10 Pause  20h25 Short presentation about PhD research ‘Colonial heritage engagement in postcolonial Indonesian cities’ by Remco Vermeulen 20h40 Conversation between Joëlla and Remco about the afterlives of former Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia, including questions from the audience. 21h15 End Register here The Lectures: Navigating Polyvocal Heritage in a Postcolonial Cultural Landscape: Banda Islands, Indonesia – Joëlla van Donkersgoed Navigating Polyvocal Heritage in a Postcolonial Cultural Landscape describes the complex histories and heritage of Indonesia’s Banda Islands through a polyvocal approach that brings together oral traditions, colonial records, archaeology, and community perspectives. Using Fort Nassau as a case study, the book examines how diverse voices shape cultural landscapes and offers new insights into Bandanese resilience, the challenges of heritage management, and more inclusive approaches to conservation in postcolonial contexts. Colonial heritage engagement in postcolonial Indonesian cities – Remco Vermeulen In different cities throughout Indonesia, people are frequently making use of revitalized former Dutch colonial urban spaces, whether individual buildings or vast public spaces. These developments may seem remarkable bearing in mind the colonial history of these urban spaces, and also compared to the recent attention for and debates in the Netherlands on its colonial legacy, which majorly concerns Indonesia – its main former colony. The main question addressed in this PhD research is: how do people use revitalized Dutch colonial urban spaces in Indonesian cities, and what is their prior knowledge about, and perception of, these spaces?​ This presentation focuses on the first part of this research, namely the first conclusions derived from an online survey held in 2023-2024 through an online blogging platform in Indonesia, mainly among university students, with questions on their use, prior knowledge and perception of Dutch colonial spaces in Indonesia.   About the speakers Joëlla van Donkersgoed is a heritage scholar and public historian, currently a visiting scholar in the Public History program at Queen’s University Belfast and treasurer of the International Federation for Public History (IFPH). She holds a PhD in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies from Rutgers University (2020). Her research on the cultural landscape of the Banda Islands was published in Navigating Polyvocal Heritage in a Postcolonial Cultural Landscape (Routledge, 2026).Her work centers local communities and diverse voices through participatory and decolonial approaches to heritage and public history. Adopting a polyvocal perspective, she explores the intertwined histories and heritages of the Banda Islands beyond conventional dichotomies such as nature and culture, colonizer and colonized, and tangible and intangible heritage. Remco Vermeulen is an external PhD candidate at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. His research focuses on colonial heritage engagement, particularly by young people, in postcolonial Indonesian cities. His teaching also includes colonial and postcolonial urbanism, particularly in Indonesia, cultural diplomacy between Indonesia and the Netherlands, and gentrification in relation to heritage. For his PhD research, he is a visiting researcher at KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. Remco combines his parttime PhD research with his position as senior advisor for international cooperation on collection management at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, facilitating on knowledge exchange and capacity building programmes in the context of the International Heritage Cooperation programme which is part of the International Cultural Policy of the Netherlands, as well as for the Colonial Collections, and as the contact person at his organisation for colonial collections. Practical informationCosts The lecture costs €5 per person (free for ICOMOS members). Coffee, tea, and water are included; other drinks are available for purchase. Meal You are welcome to join us for dinner at 18:30. Unless stated otherwise, this will be an Indonesian rijsttafel. The cost is €15 per person. Coffee, tea, and water are included; other drinks are available for purchase. Please note: registrations or cancellations for the dinner must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Location Amstelkerk (Amstelveld 10, Amsterdam) Register here Voor vragen of reacties, neem contact op via: info@icomos.nl Ons postadres is: ICOMOS Nederland Zamenhofstraat 114 Den Haag, 2518 LB Netherlands