The Public Library as Instrument of Colonialism: The Case of the Netherlands East Indies

Between 1918 and 1926, fully 2,500 public libraries were established by the government of the Netherlands East Indies colony, mostly in towns and villages throughout the huge archipelago that became present-day Indonesia. Though popular with newly literate local people, the material in the libraries was designed to inculcate "Western" values and further the colonial situation. I will describe the historical and literary setting of this phenomenon. My analysis includes a close reading of remarks made by one of the responsible agency's longtime directors.