Recent research has shed light on the important role of Swiss mercenaries in the Dutch Colonial Army. Many Swiss also worked for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). As millions of VOC documents become digitally available, this project will analyse letters, diaries and other records to determine which languages people used, in what contexts, and how these choices reflected power relations. It will focus on underrepresented communities such as soldiers, mercenaries and labourers, and will lay the groundwork for a potentially larger research grant proposal. 

• languages, cultures and worldviews
• sociolinguistics & discourse studies

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