The Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV) / Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies has specialized in advancing research and collecting information on the present and former Dutch colonies and their surroundings since 1851.
Today it is an authoritative research institute focusing on Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, and the Caribbean, especially Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands.
Our collections and innovative research encompass the humanities and the social sciences, ranging from colonial history to present-day socio-political developments.
In cooperation with Brill Publishers, the institute issues two Open Access journals: Bijdragen tot Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (BKI), which has appeared since 1851, and the New West Indian Guide (NWIG), published since 1919. KITLV also sponsors two series on Southeast Asia and the Caribbean: Verhandelingen and Caribbean Series respectively.
Since 1969 KITLV has a representative office in Indonesia, KITLV-Jakarta, in collaboration with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). KITLV-Jakarta also has a publication programme with most books published in Indonesian.