Thinking differently about money – lessons from the colonies
What role did our economic beliefs play in the emergence and perpetuation of colonial systems? In the colonies, Europeans encountered societies that were not based on competition and profit maximization. This led to the belief that the people there were “lazy” and did not want to work. Can we now take off our capitalist glasses, or are we more fused with them than ever?
Homo economicus
In his new book, 'Kennis die knecht' (Knowledge that enslaves), Remco Ensel describes how the rebellious economist Julius Boeke traveled to Indonesia in 1910 to find the ‘Javanese homo economicus’. His observations had a lasting influence on how the Dutch viewed the inhabitants of Indonesia: as people without a desire to work, save money, or be entrepreneurial. Ensel shows how little interest there was at the time in the economic systems and values of the colonies themselves. What ideas existed in those societies – and what can we learn from them today?
Non-Western economies
After his lecture, Remco Ensel will talk to economist André van Hoorn (Radboud University) about the influence of economic systems on our view of others – whether they are people, nature, or society. The audience is invited to contribute their thoughts and ask questions.
About the speakers
Remco Ensel is a historian at Radboud University and a senior researcher at NIOD. He specializes in cultural history, science, and collective ideas about people and society. His research focuses, among other things, on the role of culture in times of war and mass violence. His book Kennis die knecht – Indonesië en de koloniale wortels van wetenschap (Knowledge that enslaves – Indonesia and the colonial roots of science) was recently published (2025).
André van Hoorn is an economist at Radboud University and researches inequality and socioeconomic interactions between different groups. His work focuses on themes such as globalization, identity, social norms, culture, and economic development.
Radboud Reflects is Radboud University's public lecture program, this time organized in collaboration with NIOD.