Breaks and links in the past: on the legacy of slavery and colonialism

How do slavery and colonialism continue to affect families and society? And how do different generations engage with this legacy? Historian Esther Captain conducts research on these questions. She was recently appointed Endowed Professor of Intergenerational Impact of Slavery and Colonialism at Utrecht University. “I also want to understand how we can engage in meaningful conversations about these questions, together. And how one might recover from such a past, if that is even possible.”

Colonial legacies

Captain examines the effects of slavery and colonialism in the Netherlands, Indonesia, Suriname, the Dutch Caribbean islands, and South Africa. “The colonial past may seem distant,” she says. “It was decades or even centuries ago. Yet its consequences can continue to resonate across generations – among the descendants of enslaved people and within wider society.”

“In the colonies, for example, owners of plantations and enslaved people were able to accumulate capital, property, and social status. Later generations inherited these advantages: money, shares, houses, plantations with enslaved labourers, as well as access to education, well-paid jobs, and elite networks. The descendants of enslaved people did not have this: their ancestors were considered property. Just as the wealth accumulated by families with ‘old money’ can persist across generations, so too can the legacy of disadvantage.”

Through her chair, established at the Faculty of Humanities on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Captain seeks to better understand the impact of the past. “Her broad expertise in a highly topical area not only strengthens teaching and research within our faculty, but is also of great societal relevance,” says Dean Thomas Vaessens. “Captain brings together multiple perspectives on history and fosters dialogue and reflection. In doing so, she makes the past more accessible and deepens our understanding of it. Moreover, her work closely aligns with the interests and questions of today’s students.”

Connection with family history

“Older generations often tried to bury the past. Younger ones want to engage with it.”

Captain notes that students are indeed highly interested in colonial history and its legacies. “Older generations tended to bury the past and preferred to look forward. Yet the ‘unspoken’ past has often had a huge influence on younger generations. They want to engage with it and are curious about the origins of silences, family secrets, taboos, or shame. My research aims to explain this shift.”

She finds it particularly interesting to bring family histories and public history together. “These do not always fully align. The experiences of certain groups do not always fit into the public narrative. But by exploring how the two relate to one another, we can gain a more layered understanding. This encourages further reflection on what the past means, both personally and academically. How we develop and share knowledge about the past is also part of my research.”

How people relate to their family history is among the subjects that interest Captain. “For example, descendants of enslaved people often have a white ancestor somewhere in their family tree. How do you navigate such a dual heritage? Do you say, ‘I only identify with one group’, or do you embrace the complexity of multiple backgrounds? And how do you do that? The same applies to descendants of plantation owners: how do you relate to that past? These are precisely the questions I will explore as Endowed Professor.”

A sensitive past

“Groups with family histories in the colonies increasingly come together.”

Captain observes that there is growing awareness that history is not a single story, but consists of multiple sides and perspectives. The desire to accommodate these different viewpoints is becoming increasingly visible. “Since 2020, the national commemoration of the Dutch colonial past has taken place on 3 May, ahead of the National Remembrance Day. For participants, this is not a replacement for the 4 May ceremony, but an addition.”

“Groups with family histories in the colonies increasingly come together for these events. Old divisions, such as origin or social position, are becoming less pronounced. There is more attention to the overlap of histories, experiences, and memories. The different parts of the former Dutch kingdom are now considered together rather than separately. The same applies to scholarship: whereas historians used to study Indonesia or Suriname individually, the focus is now on the interconnections across the entire colonial system.”

Captain sees the coming together of people from different backgrounds as an opportunity for dialogue and even, potentially, forms of restitution. “I want to understand how we can discuss a sensitive and contested past together. How can we recover from such a past, if that is even possible? By studying the fractures in history, I hope to discover the links we can reconnect – both with each other and with our past.”