wwbeukers SHN Blog

Security and Technology Sovereignty: The Case of Dutch Telegraphy, 1845–1914

In this blog, Fons Borm explores how the 19th-century introduction of telegraphy shaped the Dutch government's view of technological sovereignty and security. Initially used to build a unified domestic state and enforce colonial rule in the Dutch East Indies, the network increasingly faced geopolitical vulnerabilities. British wartime censorship in 1899 prompted a failed joint German-Dutch initiative to break monopolies. Ultimately, Borm shows that digital-era sovereignty challenges are not new, historically depending heavily on fragile international power dynamics.

wwbeukers SHN Blog

Framing Black Revolution: British Colonial Security Culture and the 1791 Haitian Revolution

In this blog, Yasaman Roustayar explores how British elites responded to the 1791 Haitian Revolution by framing it as a threat to imperial order. Drawing on the concept of security culture, it shows how politicians, writers, and newspapers portrayed Black resistance as violent and illegitimate. These narratives shaped public perception and justified military intervention. By analyzing discourse and policy, Yasaman argues that “threat” was constructed, revealing how racialized fear became a tool of imperial governance and control.