The experiences and voices of Japanese women in seventeenth-century Dutch East India Company Batavia

In an era not widely recognised for transnational female mobility, a small group of Japanese Christian women navigated the complexities of migration and exile in the Dutch East India Company's (VOC) settlement of Batavia. Batavia represents a critical junction in VOC's Asian trade network and the experiences of Japanese women there has been overlooked. Against this backdrop, this project aims to produce captivating yet historically significant resources for the general public, researchers, students, and others interested in Japan's global engagement in both the past and present. As such, the project illuminates the underexplored lives of Japanese women in seventeenth century VOC Batavia, focusing on their roles and lives within this vibrant, multicultural settlement. By highlighting Japanese women's stories and Japanese-Dutch relations in Tokugawa period (1603-1867), this project aims to enrich our understanding of the social and cultural dynamics of early modern global interactions. These women's experiences therefore shed light on the broader socio-economic and cultural exchanges that characterised the early modern period, offering insights into the complexities of gender, migration, emotions, and mobility.