W. Raaijmakers (Wouter)

Wouter Raaijmakers (1997) completed his bachelor's degree in history by researching colonial legal history. And he finished the research master's programme in Historical Studies cum laude with a demographic study of Dutch slavery past. After graduation, he became more broadly interested in colonialism and its aftermath. In that capacity, he researches colonial legal histories of Dutch and British South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Working title: Whose Law Is It Anyway? Litigation in Dutch and Early British Colonial South Africa and Sri Lanka, c. 1730-1830

"My research project uncovers legal strategies with which litigants navigated the Roman-Dutch legal system in Cape Town and Colombo during Dutch and British colonial rule. To this end, I conduct a literature review of legal pluralism and empire-building, an analysis of material laws and regulations in the context of governance, a sociological study of procedural law, and a demographic study of litigants."