30 June 2025, 6:00 pm, by AAI Webmaster

Photo: Hélène Njoto-Feillard, cropped

We kindly invite you to this lecture in English language on Monday, June 30th, 2025, at 18:00–20:00 h (CEST/MESZ).

"Sultan-Builders and Architectural Innovations in Java during the Early Colonial Period (16th – early 19th century)"

Speaker:
   Dr. Hélène Njoto-Feillard, École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO)

Date:
    Monday, June 30^th, 2025

Time:
    18:00 – 20:00 p.m. (MESZ/CEST)

Location:
    Asia-Africa-Institute (AAI)
    University of Hamburg
    Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, Flügel Ost ("East Wing"), room O-121
    20146 Hamburg

Language:
   English

Open to public! – No entrance fee!

Drawing on extensive archival documentation and in-depth field research, this study offers the first architectural history of the Javanese sultanates during the early colonial period (16th to early 19th century). It reveals a lesser-known dimension of Javanese rulers: their active engagement with innovation. Situated at a maritime crossroads, Java witnessed a dynamic renewal of architectural forms and techniques, challenging the widespread notion of a conservative culture resistant to change.

By examining long-term urban and palatial projects – some of the most distinctive in Southeast Asia – this work analyzes the creative processes behind the development of a hybrid architectural language, one that merged local traditions with external influences. Through their interactions with both Asian and European actors and their respective technical knowledge, Javanese sultans reimagined their material culture. Over two and a half centuries, these "sultan-builders" crafted a masonry-based prestige architecture that served as a tool for both legitimation and subtle resistance in the face of growing colonial dominance.

More information on Dr. Hélène Njoto-Feillard can be found on the EFEO's homepage. (Please note: This external link is outside the University of Hamburg's jurisdiction!)

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