ABSTRACT
Can we imagine what historical records omit? If so, why should we? This chapter takes us back to the summer of 1769 and discusses an encounter between two boys, Steven and Januari, during a crossing from Batavia (Jakarta) to Ambon. Januari and Steven were young: one was eleven, the other fourteen; one was Black, the other white; one was enslaved, whilst the other was free. The boys will not have forgotten their encounter lightly, even though Januari later described it as playful. Steven and Januari were apprehended and charged with sodomy when they arrived in Ambon. Using historical records, this chapter (re-)constructs the moment of contact between Steven and Januari. The case illustrates why it is important to raise imaginative questions – in this case about love, sexuality, hierarchy, and abuse – even if the records do not provide clear-cut answers. Furthermore, it will show how present-day knowledge of sexual development in children, racial discourse, and criminal law practice can guide us in answering such questions. It is only through such a layered engagement with the past that we can construct a story that does justice to the historical experience of an enslaved boy like Januari.
