Blog accompanying the Gold Coast DataBase with historical, biographical, and genealogical information on the relationship between Ghana and the Netherlands, from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. Ghana and the Netherlands - Historical Notes FRIDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2015 Marriages between White and Black in the Netherlands: Legal and social issues from the early nineteenth century Regulating interracial marriages In the Netherlands, interracial marriages were not uncommon in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. And in most documented cases such liaisons did not encounter much attention, either legally or socially. A telling case in this respect is that of the Africa-born Christiaan van der Vegt, who married the Dutch girl Kaatje de Bas in the Dutch Reformed church of the town of Weesp on 8 May 1779. A young man from Africa, only baptised two years before, and a young local working class woman. A black man and a white woman. So how did this work; legally, with the church, socially? (Hoe heette Christiaan?) This is a question which invites a varied set of answers. The fact that the marriage was celebrated in the Dutch Reformed church indicates that the church authorities (formally) had no problem with such a marriage. And in the eighteenth century the Dutch Reformed church also represented the State in matrimonial matters, so we can deduce that the civil authorities equally had no problem with mixed race marriages in the eighteenth century. Were interracial marriages ‘normal’ then? Dutch historian Dienke Hondius discusses the issue in her book Blackness in Western Europe, and indicates the complex European attitudes towards non-white people throughout the ages (Hondius 2014). In her arguments she emphasises how Europe, differently from the United States for instance, never saw the substantial presence of groups of black people. For Dutch historian Natalie Everts and the author this was reason to speak about ‘Invisible Africans’ (Doortmont & Everts 1999). This invisibility must be regarded as a sociological phenomenon, because individuals could be quite visible physically, as was the case with Christiaan van der Vegt. In her blog on her African ancestor, Annemieke van der Vegt lists numerous public accounts in which skin colour played a role. And also with the children of Christiaan and Kaatje skin colour played an important role in their lives (Hoe heette Christiaan?). Still, we can state that interracial marriages were ‘ordinary’ in the Netherlands in a variety of ways. For one, there was no legal structure governing these marriages, at least not between free persons. And in known examples of interracial marriages colour blindness seems to be the rule with all people concerned. So were interracial marriages socially accepted then? This is a question that asks for a qualified answer. In the eighteenth century several dozens of African children, many from interracial relationships between (senior) Dutch West India Company officials and African women came to the Netherlands from West Africa. Many stayed here and married with Dutch men and women (Doortmont, Everts & Vrij 2000). What is striking is that most of them married below the social class of their (European) fathers, especially men. Join this site with Google Friend Connect Members (17) Already a member? Sign in FOLLOWERS ► 2016 (3) ▼ 2015 (1) ▼ November (1) Marriages between White and Black in the Netherlan... ► 2014 (1) ► 2012 (2) ► 2011 (6) ► 2010 (8) BLOG ARCHIVE Michel Doortmont Follow 17 View my complete profile ABOUT ME 6 More Next Blog» mimobiel@gmail.com New Post Design Sign Out Ghana and the Netherlands - Historical Notes: Marriages betwee... http://gcdb-doortmontweb.blogspot.nl/2015/11/marriages-betwee... 1 of 6 12/03/16 11:03