Pamela Pattynama, born in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1948. Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam. Indisch Huis Professor of Colonial and Postcolonial Literature and Culture History at the University of Amsterdam.
Fellow (1 September – 30 November 2009)
THE DYNAMICS OF THE DUTCH EAST-INDIES: CULTURAL REMEMBRANCE AND INDIES-DUTCH COMMUNITIES
During my stay I worked on a book dealing with the after-effects of the Dutch colonial past. It specifically explores how, as a memory site, the East-Indies has been transferred and transformed through the interactions of different media from 1945 to the present, and how this memory-making has shaped Indies-Dutch migrant generations. My stay at NIAS allowed me to write or re-write nine chapters about Dutch colonial and post-colonial documentaries. Also important is that during my stay I developed another writing style and re-organised the book. Last but not least: I was much inspired by the mixed national and international company at NIAS, particularly by the members of the ‘cultural memory studies group’. My daily discussions, talks and exchanges with Ann Rigney, Astrid Erll and Anne Marie Brandstetter belong to my most valuable NIAS experiences.