History of the Banda Sea

• The essay studies the historical trajectory of the Banda Sea, a maritime region in eastern Indonesia, from prehistory to the present. The islands of the region, in particular the Banda and Ambon Islands, enjoyed a commercial prominence since the Middle Ages due to the trade in nutmeg and cloves. Islam made inroads in the second half of the 15th century, and European colonialism took hold during the 16th century. The Portuguese (1512-1605) were followed by the Dutch East India Company or VOC (1602-1799) and the Dutch colonial state (1816-1942, 1945-1949).  The VOC enforced monopoly on spices and various other products, which had very serious consequences for local societies. Indonesian independence in 1949 was followed by decades of slow economic growth in the Banda Sea region, while the fall of the Soeharto regime in 1998 caused increasing tensions that erupted in a civil war in 1999-2002. 

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Maluku; Banda

Ambon; Indonesia; spice trade; colonialism

Historia

History

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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