Languages and Cultures in Utrecht’s Lombok and Transvaal districts

TCULT was an interdisciplinary research project focused on the dynamics of language and culture in the multicultural districts of Lombok and Transvaal in Utrecht. The Meertens Institute in Amsterdam researched bilingualism in the Utrecht district of Lombok, collecting 150 tapes of interviews, speeches and songs, mainly from Turkish and Moroccan Lombok residents. The project investigated the cultural and linguistic repertoires of both individual residents and diverse communities, including native Dutch, Moroccans, Turks, Surinamese and other ethnic groups.

In addition to the internal structure of language and cultural expressions, its function and meaning within and between these groups was also central. Through fieldwork, language varieties, stories, songs, celebrations, rituals and utensils were mapped and theoretically analysed.

TCULT was a collaboration between the Meertens Institute and several researchers, in close connection with the Catholic University of Brabant, Leiden University, the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University.