Political Authority and Treaty-Making in the Spanish Philippines and Dutch Indonesia: Comparative Insights

Recent studies on “colonial treaties” have challenged the conventional Eurocentric focus on historical treaties and treaty-making (Belmessous, 2011). In Southeast Asia, however, there remains a dearth of studies that analyze the internal (language, content, script) and broader context of these numerous treaties. This paper, which is part of a larger international research project, intends to highlight the differences and convergences of treaties and treaty-making impulses in Dutch Indonesia and Spanish Philippines. It uses concrete examples from the southern Philippines and northern Sulawesi to draw comparisons and insights into colonial rule, local political authority and cultural traditions that are reflected through selected “colonial” treaties.