Niel,Robert Van. — Java's northeast coast 1740-1840. A study in colonial encroachment and dominance.

Leiden, CNWS Publications, 2005. XIV,424 pp. 3 b./w. maps. Softcover. (CNWS publications, no. 137; Studies in overseas history, 6). - Annotations on the half-title.Rather hard to find publication.- Complete with the CD-Rom. - In this book, historian Robert van Niel examines the transformation of the northeast coast of Java during a crucial century of colonial expansion. The work highlights how the region changed from a relatively autonomous border zone into a central component of the Dutch colonial state. He describes the growing influence of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in internal Javanese politics, which led to the annexation of areas such as Blambangan (the "Oosthoek") around 1768. The study analyzes the transition from the VOC trading period to formal colonial administration and ultimately the introduction of the Cultivation System after 1830. It zooms in on how the Dutch adapted local power structures, using village chiefs as instruments for collecting taxes and organizing forced labor. The emphasis is on the six main regencies of the Oosthoek: Pasuruan, Probolinggo (Banger), Malang, Lumajang, Panarukan, and Blambangan (Banyuwangi). Van Niel bases his research on an extensive analysis of both Dutch archival documents (such as Memories van Overgave) and Javanese chronicles.