Wosuna, Wong, WOTRO, and other acronyms: A History of Dutch Tropical research organisations in Suriname and beyond

Abstract

The period between 1945 and 1975 saw the slow decolonisation of the Dutch colony of Suriname. Yet, this period also saw the coming into existence of several Dutch organisations for tropical research in Suriname. Why did the decolonisation and the rise of tropical research organisations coincide? In this thesis, I study the coming into existence of Wosuna and WOTRO and their consequences for the Dutch and Surinamese. I conclude that the rise of scientific organisations allowed the Dutch to conduct tropical research in the former colonies.