Social Exclusion and the Entanglement of State, Religion and Civil Society in Mid-Twentieth Century Curaçao

ABSTRACT:The six Dutch Caribbean islands were the only Dutch colonial project in which the Catholic Church played a vital role in society. On the island Curaçao, in particular, a substantial array of Catholic missionary activities was supported by the Dutch colonial government, which was itself, quite notably, not Catholic. The impact of the entanglement of state, religion and civil society on the social position and mobility of the Afro-Curaçaoan population in the period 1915–1970 is analysed. Presenting rich empirical evidence, not only are the persistent patterns of exclusion demonstrated, but the forces of resilience and resistance in the long-neglected Afro-Curaçaoan population are also highlighted.