Memorabilia of Colonial Violence and Death

What is it about?

This article focuses on the private collection of Jean Louis Henri Beijens, a former military officer in the Dutch East Indies. At first sight, his collection resembles a haphazard assemblage not worthwhile of attention. However, closer inspection reveals its historical and contemporary significance. In this article, we offer a glimpse in Beijens’ private military collection originating from the Dutch colonies in both the East and West, as well as from Belgian Congo. Highlighting the colonial self-fashioning that occurred while assembling his ‘haphazard’ collection, we elucidate the colonial dispossession and violence that is at heart of Beijens’ and other private and public collections. In doing so, this article attempts to address the enduring legacies and responsibilities of colonial collecting and collections.

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