Snouck Hurgronje: pilgrim or outsider?

Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857-1936) is still by far the best known Dutch scholar of Islam, in general and especially related to Indonesia. Hundreds, probably thousands of publications mention him, but until now there was no proper biography. In 2017 a journalist, popular writer of non-fictions books, has publlished a no too big, but fascinating book on him.

Dröge begins with a very realistic story of the bloody circumcision of the adult Snouck in 1884 in Jeddah, where the local barbar cut about 1 cm. from the skin of his penis as part of the process of becoming a true and formal Muslim. This was required for his entry to the town of Mecca, in January 1885. The period in Jeddah and Mecca cover the first 100 pages of this book after very short information about his adulterious father, his upbringing and study at Leiden University: it is not an academic but a journalistic book and Dröge selected the most interesting and even shocking stories for his book. A biography is a 'life story' and the author has the right to formulate his own image of the personality.

The word pelgrim in the title refers to Snouck's dissertation in Leiden (1880) about the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage. However, due to problems in Mecca, Snouck could not join the hajj of 1885 and so never was a Muslim haji or pilgrim. One should also not conclude that he had a personal pilgrimage in life to God or a religion. In the introduction Dröge has two characteristics of his personality: an obsession, intense quest forknowledge about languages and cultures. Second is his ambition, legendary. But he never was in charge of a group of people. He was president of the Dutch Academy of Sciences, was Rector of Leiden University, but maybe more in a ceremonial sence than as a true administrator: he was an individual, a scholar, not a team worker. Nearly all his 'friends' or comrades were either afraid for his severe judgments or the object of his curiosity.
Dröge criticises him for inconsistency: he promoted good schools for Indonesians like Husein Jayadiningrat, but his children from two spouses lived in Ciamis, not in Batavia and pesantren was good enough for them. A somewhat split personality: close to the natives and Muslims in private contacts, but officially in all respects a colonial administrator.
And in the end: he remained an outsider, a keen observer, not someone who could bring calm or revolutionary changes in society. But definitely a good observer and fantastic writer!