4 - Professional Aspirations and Colonial Ambivalence: The Association of Indies Physicians

Summary

Upon graduation, students of the Batavia and Surabaya Medical Colleges were confronted with the realities of colonial life and the realisation that the social position of Indies physicians was ambiguous and contested. They were denied entry into the European social sphere, snubbed by the upper layers of the traditional aristocracy, and received the least desirable appointments in the colonial health service. Because of their unenviable social position, some Indies physicians became involved in organised protest and political activism. Pursuing emancipation and equality with Europeans, they founded the Association of Indies Physicians in 1909 to have a public voice. The Association provided mutual support, represented their interests, and lobbied for better remuneration and improved working conditions. Above all, it attempted to enhance the social status of Indies physicians. The activism of Indies physicians inspired several debates on the status of Indies physicians. They often figured in debates on the nature and direction of the Dutch colonial project as a whole.