September 2025

GLOBALISE data sprint and webinar

The GLOBALISE project, led by the Huygens Institute and the International Institute of Social History (IISG), is unlocking millions of documents from the 17th- and 18th-century archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) through a digital infrastructure that makes them easy to search. The process involves converting handwritten texts into machine-readable form, with names of people, places, events and dates linked to an English-language digital encyclopaedia.

Researchers around the world can access and explore the material through a user-friendly website, without needing to know Dutch.

The documents go well beyond the VOC’s internal affairs. They offer detailed accounts and observations of the societies in the Asian regions where the company was active. For historians in those regions, GLOBALISE opens up direct access to this material from wherever they are, without the need to travel.

Events

Three events will take place in September as part of the GLOBALISE project.

Thursday 4 September, 13:30–16:00 (CEST)
GLOBALISE Datasprint
This datasprint will focus on the structure of lists and tables within VOC archives. Its goal is to create a ‘ground truth’ — reliable data that can be used to train and assess automated recognition tools.
Who is it for?
Anyone interested in GLOBALISE, from researchers to students.
Registration via Eventbrite.

Thursday 11 September, 15:20–16:30 (CEST)
GLOBALISE Workshop at the ENIUGH conference, Sweden
This workshop will present the GLOBALISE project in the broader context of world history and digital methodologies, discussing how VOC archives can contribute to global history research.
Who is it for?
Participants registered for the ENIUGH conference (European Network in Universal and Global History) in Växjö, Sweden.

Tuesday 30 September, 13:30–16:00 (CEST)
GLOBALISE Webinar
The webinar will explore digital methods historians can employ to craft new types of histories, based on large volumes of structured data from VOC archives.
Who is it for?
Anyone interested in GLOBALISE, from researchers to students.
Registration via Eventbrite.

Save the date: 4–6 March 2026
GLOBALISE Conference
An international conference around the key themes of the GLOBALISE project alongside related digital and historical topics.
Who is it for?
Researchers and other interested parties. A call for papers has been announced. The deadline is 7 September 2025. Click for more information.