Finding Traces of Hoesein Djajadiningrat at the Leiden University Library
The purpose of my research at the Leiden University Library was to collect additional sources for my doctoral thesis. My research aims to explore knowledge production, knowledge transmission, and intellectual networks through a case study of Hoesein Djajadiningrat. 1 Hoesein was born on 8 December 1886 in Kramatwatu, Banten. In 1904, he went to the Netherlands to study at the Department of Oriental Literature at the Leiden University. There he was taught directly by Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, the renowned Islamologist and Arabist. He graduated seven years later, becoming the first Indonesian to receive a doctorate, with a dissertation entitled Critische Beschouwing van Sadjarah Banten (1913). He published on a wide range of topics related to history, Islamic studies, and literature, and he became an important figure in both Dutch and Indonesian social and academic circles.
In search of relevant sources for my research, I visited several Indonesian libraries and archives, including the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, the Library of the Republic of Indonesia, the Rekso Pustoko Library, and the Sonobudoyo Library. I found many of Hoesein's works from after his return to the Dutch East Indies, including his contributions about Java. In the Rekso Pustoko Library, I was able to access his correspondence with Mangkoenagoro VII of Surakarta and his wife Partini. Most of these letters discuss the promotion of Javanese culture through the Java Instituut. However, much of Hoesein's correspondence with his former teachers in Leiden is held in the Leiden University Library. From 1912 to 1935, Hoesein exchanged letters with his supervisor Snouck Hurgronje. With a total of 81 letters between them (shelfmark D H 1105, folders 1 and 2), their correspondence shows how the relationship between supervisor and student continued after Hoesein's return to the Dutch East Indies.
The bulk of their correspondence concerns the Atjèhsch-Nederlandsch woordenboek (“Acehnese-Dutch dictionary”, 1934), which Hoesein worked on after his return. In 1914-1915, he travelled to the Koetaraja area of Aceh, now Banda Aceh, to learn the Acehnese language. He was accompanied by two local informants, Tengkoe Noerdin and Hadji Aboebakar. The informants helped him by explaining grammar, suggesting words for the dictionary, and collecting relevant data. Tengkoe Noerdin and Hadji Aboebakar also copied manuscripts of Acehnese hikayat (“story”, a narrative genre in Malay and Acehnese textual traditions). that they came across during their travels. 2 Some of these are now in the UBL Special Collections, including Hikayat Atjeh, Hikayat Prang Sabi and Hikayat Peulandok Kence. Most of the entries in the dictionary were derived from the language of the hikayat, which differs from spoken language in sentence structure and word usage. By examining a large number of hikayat, Hoesein was able to study how the words were used and thereby discover their meaning.
In addition to Hoesein's letters to Snouck Hurgonje, the library also holds letters from Hoesein to other intellectuals such as R.A. Kern, F.S. Eringa, and Salim Al-Attas. Overall, the library has an extensive collection of materials relating to Hoesein and other important figures in Indonesia, making it a vital resource for my research. The collection contains a wealth of materials resulting from the direct or indirect interaction between Indonesia and the Netherlands, all of which are well preserved. This collection has allowed me to discover important pieces that complement the resources I already have. I believe it would be beneficial for Indonesian researchers with similar interests to explore the collection. Given its importance, I highly recommend that any Indonesian researcher visit Leiden University Library, whether for a short or longer stay, to take advantage of this valuable resource.
Mohammad Refi Omar Ar Razy is a PhD candidate at the Department of Literature, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. In 2023, he was a recipient of the Lingling Wiyadharma Fellowship. Email: mohammad21018@mail.unpad.ac.id