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The Surinamese Javanese diaspora includes distinct Surinamese Javanese communities living in Suriname and the Netherlands. Inspired by the success of diaspora policies launched by the Indian government recently the Indonesian and Surinamese governments have started to consider the introduction of similar initiatives. As a result the Surinamese Javanese diaspora has been confronted with requests to contribute more substantially to their homeland and contemplate "going back home." This article argues that the Indonesian and Surinamese governments have no reason to set their expectations too high. Jakarta and Paramaribo are reluctant to take necessary legal action which negatively impacts the effectivity of their diaspora policy. Overall Surinamese Javanese in Suriname are unwilling to settle in Indonesia, whereas Surinamese Javanese in the Netherlands contemplating return to Suriname carefully weigh their chances. For most of them, family, friendship and community ties and concomitant socio-cultural, spiritual and religious motives override economic motives as pull factors.

Wij slaven van Suriname (We slaves of Suriname) by Anton de Kom (1898-1945) stands out as one of the classics of Surinamese historiography and one of the most debated books among contemporary scholars involved in Surinamese studies. In this article I argue that Wij slaven van Suriname marks a new stage in Surinamese history writing and a novel way of dealing with the Surinamese past. To determine the characteristics of the book and its contribution to Caribbean historiography I juxtapose Wij slaven van Suriname with two other groundbreaking works in Caribbean political thought: Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams (1911-81) and The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James (1901-89). The three works display many similarities, but also important differences. In my opinion De Kom's hitherto surprisingly weak Caribbean profile is not justified given that his work represents the formative phase of Surinamese decolonization. It therefore deserves a prominent place in twentieth-century Caribbean history writing.

Study of Suriname nationalism and the mechanisms that foster and hamper its course. Uses Anthony Smith's National identity to determine the place Suriname nationalism occupies in the Smith's typological ranking of nationalisms. In the second section, the author discusses national myths, invented traditions, and monuments in Paramaribo to highlight the (cultural) problems of integration nationalism. Concludes that integration nationalism has been frustrated as a result of the strong forces of ethnicity.

Suriname is a fascinating yet also little known Caribbean country. Fascinating because a unique variety of lifestyles and group identities has characterized this country from its early beginnings as a European plantation colony, but even more so since the influx of contract laborers from British India and Java in the nineteenth century. Little known because even when attention was focused on the country, particularly following a military coup d'état in 1980, this awareness has contributed little to a better understanding of the country's complex developments. In fact, the media have not unveiled but rather covered the essentials of the evolving Suriname society. Combining a broad thematic approach with a focus on long-term developments in Suriname, 20th Century Suriname consists of fourteen chapters that discuss the main trends with respect to major areas of research. Topics such as Surinamese politics and economics, as well as its social, religious, and cultural aspects are covered by the best contemporary specialists on Suriname in the United States, the Netherlands, and Suriname. This volume provides an accessible introduction to Suriname for a general audience, including graduate and undergraduate students, and an authoritative 'state of the art review' for Suriname specialists