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  1. Home > Articles & Issues >
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  3. Storied Statistics: ...
Article

Storied Statistics: Behind the Numbers of Indonesian Mecca Pilgrims (1851–2016)

Dulce van Vliet ORCID (1)
(1) Eindhoven University of Technology
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Submitted on
December 8, 2025
Accepted on
July 20, 2026
Published on
September 15, 2026
Last modified on
September 18, 2026
Volume 2
The Past
Research paper
DOI
10.46298/transformations.17053
License
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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102
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38
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Storied Statistics: Behind the Numbers of Indonesian Mecca Pilgrims (1851–2016)

Dulce van Vliet ORCID (1)
(1) Eindhoven University of Technology
Abstract
English
This article examines a historical dataset of Indonesian pilgrims traveling to Mecca between 1851 and 2016 to reflect upon the epistemological and political dimensions of quantification. Drawing on debates in digital humanities and critical data studies, it makes the case that quantitative historical data, and statistics in particular, are neither self-evident nor neutral but deeply embedded in changing worldviews and governance practices. While this seems to be widely accepted in terms of multimodal qualitative data, quantitative datasets are often perceived misleadingly as straightforward, with little discussion on how the numbers are produced. In this article, with this specific case, I argue that historical quantitative data should be treated in the same critical way. Using the concept of “storied statistics”, the study discusses how colonial authorities monitored the Hajj pilgrimage to prevent anti-colonial sentiment, later reframing it as a story of prosperity. By tracing the entanglement of Hajj statistical records with colonial and post-colonial agendas, the article argues that quantitative data must approached with the same scrutiny as qualitative data. 
Dutch
Dit artikel onderzoekt een historische dataset van Indonesische pelgrims die tussen 1851 en 2016 naar Mekka reisden, om te reflecteren op de epistemolo­gische en politieke dimensies van kwantificering. Voortbouwend op debatten binnen de digital humanities en critical data studies betoogt het dat historische kwantitatieve data, en statistieken in het bijzonder, noch vanzelfsprekend noch neutraal zijn, maar diep verankerd liggen in veranderende wereldbeelden en vormen van bestuur en toezicht. Hoewel dit inzicht breed wordt aanvaard voor multimodale kwalitatieve data, worden kwantitatieve datasets vaak ten onrechte gezien als directe en transparante representaties van de werkelijk­heid, met weinig aandacht voor de wijze waarop de cijfers tot stand komen. Aan de hand van deze casus betoog ik dat historische kwantitatieve data met dezelfde kritische blik benaderd moeten worden als kwalitatieve bron­nen. Met behulp van het concept van storied statistics laat de studie zien hoe koloniale autoriteiten de Hadj monitorden om anti-koloniale sentimenten te voorkomen, en hoe deze statistieken later werden herkaderd als een verhaal van economische voorspoed. Door de verwevenheid van Hadj-statistieken met koloniale en postkoloniale beleidsagenda’s bloot te leggen, onderstreept het artikel dat kwantitatieve data aan dezelfde kritische analyse moeten worden onderworpen als kwalitatieve data.
Keywords
  • historical quantitative data
  • storied statistics
  • colonial datasets
  • Indonesia
  • Mecca pilgrimage
  • critical data studies
  • historische kwantitatieve data
  • koloniale datasets
  • Indonesië
  • Mekkapelgrimage
Linked publications - datasets - software
  • Is supplemented by

    van Vliet, D. (2025). Historical Dataset: Indonesia Mecca Pilgrims Statistics, 1851-2016 (Version 1) [Dataset]. 4TU.ResearchData. 10.4121/6EC9E536-AFD3-468A-9CA3-8A5B5AD3C199

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