The Arrival of the Europeans in Indonesia, c. 1509–1620

Abstract

The arrival of the first Europeans in Southeast Asia at the beginning of the sixteenth century has sometimes been regarded as the most important watershed in its history. This view is untenable. Although Europeans — above all the Dutch — were to have a great impact upon Indonesia, this was largely a phenomenon of later times. As the colonial period recedes into the past, questions are being asked about how lasting even this later impact was. Whatever the case, in the early years of the Europeans’ presence, their influence was sharply limited in both area and depth.