Gert Jan Oostindie was born on 4 July 1955 and is a Dutch historian and professor who specialises in Dutch colonial history and the Dutch Caribbean.
10 Facts About Gert Oostindie
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Gert Oostindie was Director of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies from 2000 until 2021.
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Gert Oostindie's surname is a variant of Oosteinde or "east end", as in Oosteinde, Groningen.
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Gert Oostindie studied history and social sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and graduated in 1982.
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In 1983, Gert Oostindie started working for the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies.
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Gert Oostindie managed to keep the institute in Leiden, but had to dismiss half the staff.
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Gert Oostindie was appointed professor Anthropology with a specialisation on the Caribbean at the University of Utrecht on 1993 and served until 2006.
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Gert Oostindie is a prolific writer on the history of the Dutch Caribbean and Suriname who specialises in the colonial history and slavery past of the Netherlands.
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Gert Oostindie tried to increase the understanding of the Dutch Caribbean which was often overshadowed by the Dutch East Indies and Suriname.
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Gert Oostindie frequently appears in the mass media as an expert on colonial history and slavery.