Renegotiating dissonant heritage: the statue of J.P. Coen

Abstract

Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587–1629) is a controversial figure in Dutch history. As the governor general of the Dutch United East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie), he founded the basis for the Dutch colonial enterprise in south-east Asia. In the late nineteenth century, Coen was seen as a national hero and his statue erected on the central square of his home town. Since then, appreciation of Coen has changed considerably. In 2011, a group of citizens petitioned the local authority to have the statue removed because they considered him responsible for genocide. After much discussion, the local authority decided to leave the statue in place and replace the old text on the statue with a new description of Coen. The local museum organised an exhibition about Coen in the form of a trial, asking visitors to vote on whether he deserves a statue or not. Following Ashworth et al. the selective ways in which Coen’s statue has been used as a heritage resource are explored. In particular, reference is made to the concept of heritage dissonance. The ways in which the local authority and museum acted to renegotiate meanings ascribed to the statue and reduce the levels of dissonance are described and analysed.