Untangling the "Mongolian spot": The legacy of colonial Indonesia's racial science on Dutch parenting websites
Summary
This thesis explores the legacy of colonial racial science in contemporary Dutch society by studying the
presentation of the “mongolenvlek” on informational parenting websites. The research question of this
thesis is: What is the meaning of the “mongolenvlek” and its association with Indonesian heritage in
the context of Dutch parenting websites and Dutch colonial history? It explores the historical context
of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia and the racial identities that emerged from it. Through an analysis of
the informational parenting websites and their forums, racial terminology and assumptions are
identified. These racial terminologies and assumptions directly connect CDM to racial heritage. In this
way, the construction of the “mongolenvlek” becomes a racial marker by which racial identities are
determined. However, reconsidering the history of racial science shows that these racial identities are
based on social constructions known as the racialised common sense. Moreover, exploring the Dutch
colonial history through the narratives of Indo-Europeans shows that these racial identities were
imposed through identifying racial markers on physical appearances and maintained through
oppression and violence. Revisiting the representation of CDM on parenting websites with these
findings, we find that the “mongolenvlek” is a contemporary uncontested racial marker. This
uncontested acceptance is due to the fact the Dutch colonial history is “unremembered” and thereby
absent from the collective body of Dutch history. Thus, this thesis demonstrates the need for a greater
historical awareness and a critical examination of racial thinking to identify colonial biases and create
a more inclusive society.
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