bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In opdracht van de tijd? (De) Nederlandse cultuur in Europese context 1650-2000
Authors: Davids K.
Published: September 2015

D. Fokkema, F. Grijzenhout, Rekenschap 1650-2000RekenschapKarel DavidsWhat value does the 'benchmarking' concept (IJkpunten) bring to Dutch history? Can the selection of the first 'benchmark' and the subsequent benchmark-years convincingly be defended and if so, on what grounds? What do the results of these inquiries on benchmark-years tell us about the specific features of Dutch culture? These three key questions form the basis of the review of the IJkpunten-project as a whole. The author argues that the implementation of the project has in part been more satisfactory than its defective theoretical base would have led us to expect, but that the series as a whole also shows a number of glaring shortcomings, such as an inadequate justification of the choice of the benchmark-years and insufficient communication between the various authors concerning the use of crucial terms and concepts. Although 'specific' features of Dutch culture are hinted at, a systematic, comparative analysis of these matters has not been pursued. Finally, it is suggested that the volumes of IJkpunten-project, considering their manifest focus on the importance of harmony, consensus, consultation and candid debate in Dutch history and their relative disregard for the role of coercion, violence, conflicts and tensions between different groups in Dutch society, can be taken as a quintessential product of the prevailing beliefs and opinions in the Netherlands in the 1990s.
Van godsdienstvrijheid naar mensenrecht. Meningsvorming over censuur en persvrijheid in de Republiek, 1579-1795
Authors: Eijnatten J. van
Published: September 2015

From religious liberty to human right. The development of public opinion on censorship and press freedom in the Dutch Republic, 1579-1795, Joris van EijnattenMost studies on censorship and freedom of the press in the early modern (northern) Netherlands focus on legislation concerning, and the actual practice of, governmental and ecclesiastical censorship. By contrast, ideas on, and theories of, press freedom and censorship have all but been neglected. This may be due to the fact that the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century pamphlet literature does not live up to the expectations of historians expecting to find principled defences of press freedom. Yet censorship (or the lack of it) was never based exclusively on practical considerations. There have always been supporters of (a certain measure of) press freedom. Which arguments did they employ in the public domain? This paper discusses the variety of arguments adduced by authors ranging from Dirk Volckertsz Coornhert to Adriaan Kluit, thus offering, in the process, an overview of the gradual development of public opinion on censorship and press freedom in the Dutch Republic between 1579 and 1795. A typology of the various arguments used by early modern writers is introduced, and it is suggested that this classification may be used for further comparative research into theories of press freedom in western Europe and the Americas between 1550 and 1800.
Afscheid van de stapelmarkt
Authors: Veluwenkamp J.W.
Published: September 2015

C. Lesger, Handel in Amsterdam ten tijde van de Opstand. Kooplieden, commerciële expansie en verandering in de ruimtelijke economie van de Nederlanden ca. 1550-ca. 1630 Farewell to the Staple Market, Jan Willem VeluwenkampLesger argues that Amsterdam's essential function in international trade in the seventeenth century was turnover promotion through price stabilisation. Claiming that the relevant mechanism involved information provision rather than stockpiling, he convincingly bids farewell to the historiographical tradition of the Amsterdam staple market and introduces Amsterdam as the centre of information provision. I contest two aspects of Lesger's argument. Unlike him, I do not think that information provision was decisive in Amsterdam's commercial expansion around 1600: Prior to 1585, information exchange and expansion were characteristic for Antwerp too. The Amsterdam acceleration essentially involved the penetration of Asia and the Atlantic area, which was mainly provoked by the war. In addition, I think that Lesger underestimates the Dutch intermediate trade. On the one hand, Dutch industry-related import and export were more significant than he indicates. On the other hand, he attaches too little meaning to the fact that Dutchmen dominated international commerce even when they did not steer all commodity flows via the Dutch Republic. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Handel in Amsterdam' (Clé Lesger).
Continuïteit en verandering in de handelsgeschiedenis van Amsterdam
Authors: Gelderblom O.
Published: September 2015

Continuity and change in the trading history of Amsterdam, Oscar GelderblomThis article argues that Clé Lesger's Handel in Amsterdam (2001) overestimates the impact of the Dutch Revolt on the emergence of the Amsterdam market as the centre for international trade. The immigration of merchants from Brabant and Flanders at the end of the sixteenth century was a direct outcome of the increased economic interaction between Antwerp and Amsterdam after 1540. It was indeed after they had settled in the Dutch port that these newcomers accumulated most of their considerable wealth. Finally, Amsterdam's faceless markets for foodstuffs, raw materials, industrial products, and transportation services played just as important a role in the efficient exchange of information as the international networks of the Antwerp merchants. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Handel in Amsterdam' (Clé Lesger).
Repliek
Authors: Lesger C.
Published: September 2015

Response, Clé LesgerIn my book I have linked Amsterdam's remarkable trade expansion to the radical reorientation of the spatial economy in the Low Countries and the collapse of the gateway-system that had been in operation for the greater part of the sixteenth century. The shock that triggered this change was the Revolt and the politico-military schism of the north (the Republic) and the south (the Spanish Low Countries). During the reorientation process, Amsterdam was able to get hold of the flow of commodities and information previously shared between a number of different key sites in the Low Countries, and this did not remain confined to the existing flow of goods and information. With its expansion towards Asia and the Atlantic area, Amsterdam's commercial network grew to unprecedented proportions, and this too was fundamentally different to the situation in Antwerp prior to 1585. With reference to Veluwenkamp's second discussion point, I wish to emphasize that it was never my intention to undermine the importance of Amsterdam's intermediate trade. Instead, I was trying to make it clear that far from having the same features as staple trade, the intermediate trade of the early modern period bore a much closer resemblance to modern intermediate trade. Furthermore, in concordance with modern literature, I do not attribute the industry-related import and export flows to intermediate trade. Goods that were traded by the merchants of Amsterdam, but which never crossed the Republic's borders, of course fell under the category of intermediate trade. However, it has proved impossible to establish just how extensive this flow of goods and information actually was, and this is why I have been deliberately cautious about commenting on its importance to Amsterdam's intermediate trade. Contrary to what Gelderblom appears to suggest, I am not of the opinion that the merchantmigrants from the Southern Low Countries, particularly Antwerp, were the root cause of Amsterdam's commercial heyday (see above). However, my analysis of the archive of the Bank of Amsterdam does clearly show that the Southern Low Countries merchant-migrants were certainly more active and successful than average. In addition, when recalculated, the figures in Table 1 of Gelderblom's review also support this conclusion. I searched for the key to the successful business acumen of the Southern Low Countries migrants in different areas, including: their participation in existing and newly established trading networks set up by their fellow kinsmen; their capital; and, the knowledge possessed by several prominent merchants who originally hailed from Antwerp, as well as in the isolated position occupied by Southern-Low Countries migrant-merchants in Amsterdam society. Up until about 1630 they were exempted from many social functions in their new locality and so invested relatively more time and energy in trade. This response is part of the discussion forum 'Handel in Amsterdam' (Clé Lesger).
De rol van de mensenrechten in het buitenlandse beleid van Nederland na 1945. Politicologische en historische literatuur
Authors: Kuitenbrouwer M.
Published: September 2015

Y. Kleistra, Hollen of stilstaan. Beleidsverandering bij het Nederlandse ministerie van buitenlandse zaken P.R. Baehr, M.C. Castermans-Holleman, F. Grünfeld, Human rights in the foreign policy of the Netherlands E.M. van den Berg, The influence of domestic NGOs on Dutch human rights policy. Case studies on South Africa, Namibia, Indonesia and East Timor. The role of human rights in post-1945 Dutch foreign policy: Politicological and historical literature, Maarten KuitenbrouwerThe second Dutch government under Prime Minister Kok fell in 2002 following the publication of a critical report by the Dutch Institute for Wartime Documentation (NIOD) on the Srebenica issue. This event forms the starting point for a review of the recent literature on the role of human rights in Dutch foreign policy during the last few decades in both political science and history. Both disciplines share the 'decisionmaking analysis' in international relations theory as a common background. In addition, political scientists and historians have often found themselves researching the same human rights issues that affect Dutch relations with a series of non-Western countries. An explanation of Dutch policy is usually sought based on a combination of internaland external factors. In general, comparative analyses and research into its effectiveness are still conspicuous by their absence. All in all, there are more similarities than differences between recent political and historical studies on the role of human rights in Dutch foreign policy.
Politieke cultuur tussen cultuurgeschiedenis en politieke geschiedenis
Authors: Bosmans J.
Published: September 2015

H. te Velde, Stijlen van leiderschap. Persoon en politiek van Thorbecke tot Den Uyl Jac Bosmans, The political culture between political history and the history of civilizationIn principle, the author agrees with Te Velde's choice of Thorbecke, Kuyper, Colijn, Drees and Den Uyl as examples of styles of policy-making which, with the benefit of hindsight, seem to be an apt expression of the political spirit of their days, though he does place a few question marks against the choice of Colijn and Drees. In addition, he advocates the establishment of a mutually beneficial co-operative relationship between tfiose political historians who focus in particular on investigating the cultural aspects of politics and those who are more interested in examining the actual results. He argues that this kind of co-operation is necessary in order to withstand the tendency of many cultural historians to claim almost the entire past as the focus of their research, a claim which leaves no room for political history as a separate field of study. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Stijlen van leiderschap' (H. te Velde).
Repliek
Authors: Velde H. te
Published: September 2015

Response, Henk te VeldeDuring my research I have greatly benefited from the historiography of political parties and I agree with Bosmans that the relatively new approach of political culture should collaborate with classic political history. However, I am more interested in similarities between different political currents and how they compare with the international scene. Another area of particular interest for me is the public aspect of political leadership and how this relates to the time in which it takes place. The issue is, therefore, not the party political aspects of Colijn's leadership but rather the praise he received at that time from outside his own party. The most prominent political leaders were not modest administrators but 'partisan', controversial members of the best-organised and strongest parties, such as the orthodox Protestant ARP. Among many other things, I analyse the relevance of clichés about 'Calvinist' and 'religious' politics with regard to the public appeal of ex-orthodox Protestant Den Uyl. Unfortunately, however, Van Deursen seems to believe, unjustly, that I am expressing my own personal opinion on Calvinism. This response is part of the discussion forum 'Stijlen van leiderschap' (H. te Velde).
Gedegen en evenwichtig? Het NIOD-rapport nader beschouwd
Authors: Brouwer J.W.L.
Published: September 2015

J.C.H. Blom, P. Romijn, Srebrenica, een 'veilig' gebied. Reconstructie, achtergronden, gevolgen en analyses van de val van een Safe Area, I, II, III, Bootsma, P., ed. D.C.L. Schoonoord, Dutchbat III en de bevolking. Medische aangelegenheden. Bevoorrading door de lucht C. Wiebes, Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnië, 1992-1995. De rol van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten B. Naarden, Beeld en Balkan. Waarneming en werkelijkheid in Zuidoost-Europa G. Duijzings, Geschiedenis en herinnering in Oost-Bosnië. De achtergronden van de val van Srebrenica. Thorough and balanced? A closer look at the NIOD report, J. W. L. BrouwerThis vast report contains many interesting chapters, notably on the fall of the Srebrenica enclave and the minor political scandals that subsequently erupted in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the report was published in such haste that editing errors abound. This does not make the report easy reading. Furthermore, there are a number of contradictions between the conclusions in the first part and the final conclusions. Lastly, the strong condemnation of Dutch diplomacy in 1991-1993 and, in particular, the denunciation of the Foreign Minister, Mr Van den Broek, is inconsistent with the stated intentions of the authors to refrain from making any political judgements. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Srebrenica, een "veilig" gebied' (J. C. H. Blom, B. G J. de Graaff, D. C. L. Schoonoord).
Geschiedschrijving en oorlogvoering. De metamorfose van een klassiek thema
Authors: Duindam J.
Published: September 2015

Jeroen Duindam, Historians and war: the metamorphosis of a traditional theme.This introduction describes the cold relationship between most academic historians and the field of military history. It argues that historians can no longer leave aside military history in considering the history of the state in Europe, European expansion, and a variety of other social and cultural themes. Special attention is given to the emergence of a social history of warfare and armies, and to the military revolution debate. Finally, a discussion of the exceptional position of the Low Countries as a 'school of war' puts into perspective the other contributions to this volume.This article is part of the special issue 'Legerorganisatie en oorlogvoering in de Lage Landen tijdens de zestiende en zeventiende eeuw'.
The elusive Netherlands. The question of national identity in the early modern Low Countries on the eve of the Revolt
Authors: Duke A.
Published: September 2015

The Elusive Netherlands: the Question of National Identity in the early Modern Low Countries on the Eve of the RevoltThe idea of the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands having any sort of national identity is usually met with understandable scepticism. The constitutional obstacles to the construction of such an identity were formidable, not least the piecemeal formation of the Burgundian dynastic state, whose prince owed homage to the kings of France and to the Holy Roman Emperor for their territories, and some of whose subjects could still seek justice in ‘foreign’ courts . Not surprisingly the early modern Low Countries baffled foreigners, but even those thoroughly familiar with the region did not know whether it belonged to ‘Gallia’ and ‘Germania’, and in particular how the Habsburg Netherlands related to an entity as vague as ‘Nider teutschelant’. The rich yet problematic nomenclature for the Low Countries testifies to these difficulties, which were aggravated by the protean configuration of the Habsburg state and by uncertain relationship between ‘Dutch’ and ‘Teutsch zung’. The state-building activities of Charles V certainly did not resolve the political and cultural confusion, but by 1555 these had helped to foster a stronger consciousness of the Low Countries as a distinctive political community, especially in the ‘core’ provinces. On the eve of the Revolt this found expression, ironically, in the emerging opposition to the presence of Spanish soldiers and to the central government’s religious policy.
1302-2002. De Guldensporenslag en zijn nagalm in de moderne tijd
Authors: Hoppenbrouwers P.C.M.
Published: September 2015

J.F. Verbruggen, R. Falter, 1302. Opstand in Vlaanderen; M. de Bruijn, Ch. Broer, I. Stroucken, Volc te voet. Gevolgen van de Guldensporenslag voor de opkomst van de burgerij in de Noordelijke Nederlanden; P. Trio, D. Heirbaut, D. van den Auweele, Omtrent 1302; R.C. van Caenegem, 1302. Feiten en mythen van de Guldensporenslag; G.H. Nörtemann, Im Spiegelkabinett der Historie. Der Mythos der Schlacht von Kortrijk und die Erfindung Flanderns im 19. Jahrhundert; C. Billen, 1302 Revisité. 1302 Herbekeken1302-2002. The Battle of the Golden Spurs and its impact on modern timesThe commemoration, in 2002, of the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Golden Spurs at Courtray has generated a stream of new books and articles. They shed new light on two quite different aspects of this memorable event which took place on 11 July 1302: First, the transformation of the battle into a veritable lieu de mémoire; second, the interpretation of the event itself through a more sophisticated explanation of its underlying causes and wider impact, as well as alternative views about the military action that took place. What makes the first aspect so very fascinating is the fact that the myth of 1302 eventually turned into a battlefield itself, where Flemish and Belgian nationalists sat face-to-face, and where three of the overarching ideologies of the nineteenth century — Liberalism, Christian denominationalism, and Socialism — collided. The pacifying tendency among most Belgian national politicians and professional historians, as well as the gradual appropriation of the myth of 1302 by Flemish nationalists, hampered and complicated its transformation into a collective ‘place of remembrance’ acceptable to all Belgians. One conclusion regarding the second aspect is that recent authors have great difficulty escaping the dominant models of interpretation of Moke/Pirenne in the social and economic field, and Verbruggen in the field of military tactics.
De Nederlandse economie tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog bekeken vanuit een Vlaams/Belgisch perspectief
Authors: Buyst E. , Lefebvre W.
Published: September 2015

H.A.M. Klemann, Nederland 1938-1948. Economie en samenleving in jaren van oorlog en bezettingThe Netherlands economy during World War II viewed from a Flemish/Belgian perspectiveHein Klemann’s book provides a general overview of the performance of the Dutch economy during World War II. It also deals with exploitation by the German war machine, production for the black market, price controls, and monetary and fiscal policies. The reconstructed macro-economic data, such as the evolution of real wages, is sometimes prone to serious methodological flaws. For other variables, such as agricultural production in 1945 and international trade, it is clear that more research is necessary to produce reliable indicators. Despite these critical remarks, Klemann’s book offers a valuable synthesis, and other countries, such as Belgium, can use it as a source of inspiration. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Nederland 1938-1948' (Hein Klemann).
Repliek
Authors: Meihuizen J.
Published: September 2015

In response to Klemann and FaberThe investigation and prosecution of economic collaborators in the Netherlands was arbitrary; there were no clear-cut guidelines. Some cases were prosecuted while other similar cases were dismissed. The distribution of cases among the special courts, tribunals and investigative committees was also arbitrary. Compared to their political and military counterparts, economic collaborators were given milder sentences, and collaborators in the civil services were seldom, or hardly, punished at all. In this sense, there was inequality before the law. A similar inequality existed, moreover, with respect to the economic collaborators themselves; petty economic collaborators were generally arrested, whereas the ‘big shots’ were rarely detained. The recovery of the Dutch social structure, and particularly the interests of post-war economic reconstruction largely determined the proceedings. Klemann’s arguments are riddled with highly moral judgements. This is remarkable, since he criticises me for employing such judgements, which in his view should have no place in an historical work. Although I have consistently sought to avoid moral judgements, Klemann obviously confuses the judgements of officials of the special administration of criminal justice with mine. It is true that I have repeatedly reproduced these in the book, without intending to present them as my own. In his contribution Faber stresses, in my view correctly, that precise information about the number of dossiers in the Centraal Archief Bijzondere Rechtspleging (CABR) is missing. For future research, clear answers are indeed needed to answer the question on how many dossiers and suspects we are dealing with here. It is clearly in society’s best interest for more work to be carried out at the CABR and for the data that is found there to be stored in a database. The authorities should accept their responsibility in this matter and be prepared to fund the project. Onderdeel van het discussiedossier Noodzakelijk kwaad.
De representatieve fictie. Politieke vertegenwoordiging tussen oude orde en moderniteit
Authors: Sas N.C.F. van
Published: September 2015

The representative fiction. Political representation between old order and modernityIn this article some connections are explored in Dutch thinking on political representation between the old order of the Dutch Republic and post-revolutionary modernity. Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp, the framer of the Dutch constitution of 1814, has been dubbed — with almost equal justification — an enlightened conservative and the Netherlands’ first liberal. He tried to come to terms with the innovations of the revolution, whilst at the same time attempting to preserve much of the Old Constitution (even if only in name). This required some inspired constitutional juggling. Hogendorp’s formulation of the representative principle in 1814 is presented as a conscious attempt to connect the ‘representative fiction’ of the Old Constitution of the Republic, as it had been conceptualised since the Dutch Revolt, with the concept of representation laid down in the various Batavian constitutions (and constitutional projects) since 1795. In more general terms it is suggested that the professed antimodernity of much Restoration thinking was intimately linked to revolutionary modernity and in itself hardly less modern. Thus many anti-modernists of the Restoration were paradoxically exemplifying both the great breach and the underlying continuities of the revolutionary era. This article is part of the special issue 'Parlementen in de Nederlanden'.
Eclectisch en toch nieuw. De uitvinding van het Belgisch parlement in 1830-1831
Authors: Smaele H. De
Published: September 2015

Eclectic yet still new. The creation of the Belgian parliament in 1830-1831The Belgian Constitution of 1831 consisted mainly of clauses borrowed from older constitutions. Besides, most members of the Constituent Assembly were guided by the British parliamentary model, which was also promoted by French liberal authors as a welcome alternative to republicanism. Nevertheless, it departed from the British liberal model on some crucial issues and reverted to the French republican model once again. In this sense, the Belgian Constitution was indeed eclectic. Nevertheless, the combination was both refreshingly innovative and explicit in that it excluded the holistic concepts of ‘nation’ that were present in both the British and the French models. This article is part of the special issue 'Parlementen in de Nederlanden'.
Het gezag van 'mijnheer de voorzitter' in de parlementaire cultuur van de negentiende eeuw
Authors: Turpijn J.
Published: September 2015

The authority of ‘Mr. Speaker’ in nineteenth-century Dutch parliamentary cultureThe contemporary authority of the Speaker of the Second Chamber is obvious. His presence, for example, is repeatedly evoked with the enchanting mantra ‘Mister Speaker’ [‘Mijnheer de voorzitter’], even though the Speaker hardly ever has anything to say concerning content. In the nineteenth century — the so-called ‘age of parliamentarianism’ — presidential authority was not a matter of course and was an important subject of political debate that lasted for decades. This article investigates the struggle for authority through the words and deeds of representatives, Speakers and political commentators. This quest for exemplary chairmanship resulted in a number of parliamentary rules, rituals and (invented) traditions. These will prove that, far from being a matter of course, the authority of ‘Mr. Speaker’ was in fact a wily construction.This article is part of the special issue 'Parlementen in de Nederlanden'.
De democratische paradox van de RKSP. De 'leer van de uiterste noodzaak' als uiting van de groeiende eensgezindheid tussen katholieken en sociaal-democraten in het interbellum
Authors: Hoogenboom M.J.M.
Published: September 2015

The democratic paradox of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP). The ‘doctrine of the last resort’ as an expression of the growing solidarity between the Catholics and Social Democrats during the interbellumBetween the First and Second World War, coalition-building was fairly problematic in Dutch politics. This was partly caused by the refusal of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) to form a government coalition with the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDAP). On several occasions, the leadership of the party argued that the RKSP would only agree to collaborate in a so-called ‘Roman-red coalition’ out of ‘sheer necessity’. In the literature, roughly two interpretations of the Catholic refusal can be discerned. According to the first interpretation, the RKSP rejected a government coalition with the SDAP because the leadership of the party thought that the ideological differences between both parties were insurmountable. According to the second interpretation, the Catholic leadership refused to collaborate because it was afraid that the Catholic party would disintegrate as a result of the internal schism. In this article, it is claimed that the first interpretation is not tenable, and the second only partly. The refusal of the RKSP leadership to collaborate with the SDAP did not signify Catholic division or a clash between Catholic and social democratic principles but, paradoxically, a growing Catholic unity and a growing consensus between both parties. However, for the Catholic leaders a Roman-red coalition was a taboo subject since it would force the party to explicitly recognise that the Catholic and social democratic ideologies were reconcilable.
De neerslag van een jubileumjaar: VOC 2002
Authors: Gaastra F.S.
Published: September 2015

The legacy of a jubilee year: VOC 2002The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602. In 2002, its 400th anniversary was commemorated in the Netherlands with a whole series of events, exhibitions and congresses. On top of this, many books were published, partly as a direct outcome of these activities in the form of exhibition catalogues and conference proceedings. These studies are reviewed in this article and, while they do not present a completely new approach, a definite shift in focus is apparent. More attention than ever before is given to the social aspects, not just relating to the position of company employees but also with regard to the early colonial society in Batavia as well as other VOC settlements. Greater emphasis is also placed on the VOC as an ‘Asian state’ and, as a result of this, the Asian environment no longer simply provides the ‘context’ for the Company’s history but instead serves as an integral part of the history of the VOC.
Geschiedenis in multiperspectief
Authors: Sas N.C.F. van
Published: September 2015

Niek van Sas, History from a multiple of perspectives A number of reviewers found the lay-out and design of De metamorphose van Nederland rather unconventional. The book consists of a series of separate studies, written from various perspectives, that attempt for example to defend a specific thesis, to challenge some historiographical cliché, or to shift the contours of a debate. Ido de Haan would have liked to seen a firm conclusion containing a model for the political development of the Netherlands. Instead, the two opening articles explored the evolution of the Dutch state and nation from the Dutch Revolt to the present day. Lode Wils examined the book from a specifically Belgian angle. He firmly disagrees with the view that under different conditions the Dutch-Belgian United Kingdom of William I (1815-1830) might well have been saved. For his part, Wils overestimates Belgium’s importance to the Dutch self-image after 1830 when he tries to explain the supposed anti-democratic reaction that was such a distinctive feature of the Netherlands right up until the Second World War. This response is part of the discussion forum 'De metamorfose van Nederland' (N.C.F. van Sas).
The Dutch canon debate. Reflections of an American
Authors: Kennedy J.C.
Published: September 2015

James C. Kennedy, The Dutch Canon Debate: Reflections of an American This article offers an overview of the American debate over the ‘History Standards’ in the mid-1990s as a spring board for reflection on current Dutch efforts to develop a historical ‘canon.’ For several reasons, various Dutch attempts at canon-building are more solidly traditionalist than is the case in the United States. This stems in part from the fact that for along time there has been an American ‘canon’ about which to argue, making the past contested ground. Perhaps the greatest advantage of having a ‘canon’ in the Netherlands is to stimulate Dutch historians to offer opposing interpretations of the national past. This article is part of the forum 'Debat over de zin of onzin van een nationale canon'.
De plaats van de universiteit
Authors: Knegtmans P.J.
Published: September 2015

K. van Berkel, Academische illusies. De Groningse universiteit in een tijd van crisis, bezetting en herstel, 1930-1950 This review is part of the discussion forum 'Academische illusies' (K. van Berkel).
'Vergeet de hartstocht niet', de zin van gevoeligheid in de politieke geschiedenis
Authors: Santing C.
Published: September 2015

Catrien Santing, ‘Don’t forget feelings’; the importance of sensitivity in political historySince the history of mentality in the 1970s and 1980s, Dutch historians have hardly paid any attention at all to the study of emotions in the past. On the rare occasions that this didtake place, the argument was usually related to personal relations in the private sphere. Departing from recent American, English and German ‘emotion-studies’, this article proposes to systematically take the public expression, use and meaning of feelings into consideration, thereby arriving at a broader, more rounded view of political history. This article is part of the forum 'Debat over emoties'.
Muziek en natievorming in België: het muziekleven te Brussel 1830-1850
Authors: Buyens K.
Published: September 2015

Koen Buyens, Music and nation building in BelgiumThe article examines the Brussels music scene (1830-1850) in relation to the efforts made at the time with regard to nation building after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. The first part focuses on François-Joseph Fétis, who was appointed director of the Brussels conservatorium in 1832. In this capacity, Fétis intended to model both the Brussels music scene and the national music scene according to his own clear-cut ideas. In the second part it is argued that musical life in Brussels was suffused with a military spirit. The music of military bands was probably the core element of the urban soundscape. The third part concentrates on the obstacles that hampered the country’s musical development. The crushing preponderance of Paris reduced the Belgian capital to a place of servile imitation. From 1840 onwards this provoked heated reactions among the early advocates of the Flemish case, who soon fell under the spell of German music.
Het Oera Linda-boek. Falsificatie of mystificatie?
Authors: Prevenier W.
Published: September 2015

G.T. Jensma, De gemaskerde God. François HaverSchmidt en het Oera Linda-boek Walter Prevenier, The Oera Linda book. Forgery or hoaxThe manuscript of the Oera Linda book first appeared on the scene in 1867. It professed to date from the 13th century and presented an account of Friesian history from 557 BC to 1256 AD. Goffe Jensma argues convincingly that the manuscript is in fact a forgery written in pseudo-Runes on paper produced after 1850. It is also evidently a hoax, devised to gain sympathy for a certain approach of 19th century religion. Jensma identifies no less than four authors: the intellectual writer Piet Paaltjens (the pseudonym of François Haversmidt), the material scribe Cornelis Over de Linden, the translator, and the editor Eelco Verwijs. Jensma is not totally convinced that the philologist Verwijs, who came from Holland, intended to make a fool of the chauvinistic members of the Friesian Academy, who believed the text to be authentic. Instead, he viewed the Oera Linda more as a playful parody on the fantastic historiography about the Friesian past written by 16th century Friesian humanists. This review is part of the discussion forum 'De gemaskerde God' (G.T. Jensma).
De Haagse School en het nationale landschap
Authors: Krul W.
Published: September 2015

Wessel Krul, The Hague School and the national landscapeFrom the 1870s onward, the so-called ‘Hague School’ was credited with the invention of a type of landscape painting which was felt to be truly national, in the sense that it realistically depicted the atmospheric qualities of the Dutch countryside. This connection between painting and national identity retained its influence until far into the twentieth century. The main characteristics of the new landscape painting were said to be ‘simplicity and veracity’. These ideals, however, had already been propagated in Dutch art criticism for a very long time. Wessel Krul examines the relationship between the changing concept of national identity in the Netherlands and the evolution of landscape painting from the Biedermeier style of B.C. Koekkoek and his followers to the new ‘realism’ of the Hague School. The identification of the new landscape painting with modern national sentiments was closely connected with the rise of the progressive liberal movement in the 1870s. Although the idea seemed convincing to several generations, the conception of the Hague School as the ‘true expression’ of the Dutch nation was as much a myth as the attempts at nationalism in painting that preceded it. This article is part of the special issue 'Landschap, natuur en nationale identiteit'.
Hoe ons Nederland een groen hart kreeg en het ook weer verloor
Authors: Kooij P.
Published: September 2015

Pim Kooij, The Green Heart of the Netherlands. A transient inventionAround 1960 in the Netherlands the ‘Green Heart’ was invented: this was the name given to a vast area of polders, cleared peat areas, ponds and villages, on the borders of the Randstad; a conurbation in the west of the Netherlands. Up until this point, there had been little appreciation for this type of manmade landscape, but now it became the icon of the Dutch green area. At the same time, however, the area became the focus of a bitter dispute because real estate developers, businessmen, politicians etc. were eager to start building activities. They launched a campaign to win the support of the general public for the idea of fragmenting the Green Heart area. By 2000 they had achieved their goal. This article is part of the special issue 'Landschap, natuur en nationale identiteit'.
'Geschiedenis is nu eenmaal altijd politiek.' De studie-Drooglever als symptoom van de moeizame omgang van Nederland met het koloniaal verleden en de complexe relatie met Indonesië. Discussie over Een daad van vrije keuze
Authors: Meijer H.
Published: September 2015

‘History is by definition political’. The Drooglever study as a symptom of the uneasy relationship the Netherlands has with its colonial past and its complex relationship with IndonesiaIn December 1999, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, J.J. van Aartsen, complied with a request from parliament for an historical study into the referendum held in 1969 among the Papua population in the former Dutch New Guinea. The outcome of this ‘Act of Free Choice’ was manipulated and resulted in the territory becoming a permanent part of Indonesia, which is what Indonesia had coveted all along. The decision to carry out the study angered the Indonesian government and resulted in a deterioration of the already fragile bilateral relations between both countries. When Drooglever’s findings were published the Balkenende II (2003-2006) cabinet was confronted with a dilemma: how could it do justice to the study carried out by the historian P. J. Drooglever on the one hand, yet try to repair the political damage to its relations with Indonesia on the other. In the context of the complex Dutch-Indonesian relationship in general this article not only deals with Van Aartsen’s motives for accepting this controversial research, but also explains why Indonesia reacted as it did and outlines how the Balkenende government tried to deal with this thorny issue. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Een daad van vrije keuze' (P.J. Drooglever).
Doen geloven? Vroegmoderne katholieke catechese tussen pedagogische overmoed en pastoraal pessimisme
Authors: Put E.
Published: September 2015

Make believe? The early modern Catholic catechism. Somewhere between educational exuberance and pastoral pessimism.A wealth of historical research has been carried out in the field of religious education; studies of religious writings, particularly catechisms and other manuals, have proved to be very productive. However, the impact of catechism teaching has been studied less intensively. This article focuses on the high hopes the Catholic Reform movement had for systematic religious education. The specific grammar of schooling, which was the result of this ambition, left a strong mark on religious life in the southern Netherlands. The impact on the way ordinary people experienced their belief is hard to measure. However there is strong evidence that, in spite of the educational exuberance of some priests, many others were rather pessimistic about the outcome of their pastoral work. This article is part of the special issue 'De menselijke canon en de Lage Landen'.
Oorsprong, eenvoud en natuur. De bloeitijd van de kunstenaarskolonies, 1860-1910
Authors: Krul W.
Published: September 2015

Back to basics, simplicity and nature. The Golden Age of artists’ colonies, 1860-1910During the nineteenth century, the Low Countries saw the rise of a large number of artists’ colonies in rural areas. The density of these colonies in the Netherlands and Belgium was the result of the marked contrast between the towns, which were gradually modernizing, and the seemingly unspoilt and completely traditional countryside. The colonies followed a standard pattern. The painters settled in villages in picturesque natural surroundings, preferably also with picturesque inhabitants, not too far removed from the main urban centres. An inn providing cheap lodgings was a basic requirement. Often, a slightly older artist with paternal leanings acted as a benevolent host. The ideas behind the colonies usually consisted of a mixture of Utopian expectations, national and historical reminiscences, a longing for medical and spiritual regeneration, and a veneration of ‘nature’, both in the landscape and in the supposed innocence of the local inhabitants. In general, the colonies were soon overtaken by tourism and suburbanization. Toward the end of the century, the accent came to rest more and more on experiments in lifestyle, and less on the arts as such. The ideologies of the fin de siècle aimed on the one hand to establish a new contact with ‘nature’, which was seen as a regenerative power, but on the other hand strove to overcome ‘nature’, which was also viewed as the source of baser instincts and the materialist aspects of life. This ambivalent conception of nature stimulated the founding of numerous colonies and at the same time made them superfluous, as the new spiritualism turned away from the visual representation of natural reality. The career of Piet Mondrian, a frequent visitor to several artists’ colonies, exemplifies this fundamental paradox. This article is part of the special issue 'De menselijke canon en de Lage Landen'.
Breuklijnen in de geschiedschrijving van de Jodenvervolging. Een overzicht van het recente Nederlandse debat
Authors: Haan I. de
Published: September 2015

Fault Lines in the Historiography of the Holocaust. A Survey of the Recent Debate in the NetherlandsThe historiography of the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands is an excellent example of the dialectics of progress. Soon after 1945, and even sooner than in the surrounding countries, a series of studies on this subject was readily available in the Netherlands in the form of the monumental historiographies of Herzberg, Presser and De Jong. However, during the 1970s, the production of new studies that examined the persecution of the Jews practically ground to a halt. It was only after the 1980s that a new generation of historians emerged who no longer sketched an all-encompassing perspective for the general public but instead applied themselves to thorough empirical studies written in a detached style for a small specialised audience. As a result of this, the historiography of the Holocaust has radically altered in terms of perspective, methodology and function. This article examines what these recent studies of the Holocaust have accomplished. If scientific progress is defined in terms of increased accuracy, analytical thoroughness, and scientific and societal relevance then the study of the Holocaust has certainly achieved this with regard to the first two criteria. However, it is still the case that the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands is poorly represented at international debates and the implications of these studies of the Holocaust in the context of the history of Europe have hardly been examined at all. The relevance of a lot of the recent work is undisputed from a historiographical perspective. Yet, as a contribution to the image of the Holocaust outside the walls of Academia, the recent historiography has had less success.
Het dilemma van een verleidelijk crossover boek
Authors: Schuurman A.
Published: September 2015

Woud, A. van der, Een nieuwe wereld. Het ontstaan van het moderne Nederland (Amsterdam 2006) The Predicament of a Seductive Crossover BookAuke van der Woud’s new book is a must for everyone interested in the second half of the nineteenth century, particularly the consequences of spatial change. His book has all the virtues and vices of a crossover book, that is one which appeals to two different audiences. It is a book based on new research written for the general reader. Therefore, it is not clear enough with regard to various scientific questions. More explicit attention for the role of industrial capitalism and the process of democracy would have enriched the book even more. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Een nieuwe wereld' (A. van der Woud).
De twee culturen
Authors: Krul W.
Published: September 2015

Two Different CulturesIn his Een nieuwe wereld (2006), Auke van der Woud charts the rise of a new technological culture in the second half of the 19th century. He contrasts the optimism shown by the writers of this period with the pessimism which pervaded thinking on culture in the earlier part of the 20th century. In this commentary it is argued that technology is not a separate sphere of culture but that it is value-neutral, inducing optimism or pessimism according to the use made of it. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Een nieuwe wereld' (A. van der Woud).
Laveren tussen loyaal en formalistisch
Authors: Renders H.
Published: September 2015

Meindert Fennema en Johan Rhijnsburger, Dr. Max Hirschfeld. Man van het grote geld (Amsterdam 2007). Hovering between Loyalty and BureaucracyHans Max Hirschfeld has often been the subject of discussion: he was Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade and Industry during World War II and, as such, a collaborator. Or should we regard him as a faithful and obedient civil servant who simply performed the task entrusted to him by his successive (political) superiors? The question is all the more intriguing because Hirschfeld was of German descent, even though he only lived in the land of his birth for four months of his life. Hirschfeld has been the subject of two successive biographies. In the opening article of this dossier on Meindert Fennema’s biography of Hirschfeld, Hans Renders describes the value that the biographical genre holds for history writing. Although there is certainly some criticism to be levelled at Fennema’s biography, he has succeeded in providing a balanced account of this sphinx-like man. This is indeed an achievement, as Hirschfeld’s private archive was destroyed upon his death. Thanks to the use of other sources, the biographer makes a convincing case that Hirschfeld’s thoughts and deeds were strongly influenced by the headstrong Claude-Henri de Saint-Simon (1760-1825). This review is part of the discussion forum 'Dr. Max Hirschfeld. Man van het grote geld' (Meindert Fennema en Johan Rhijnsburger).
Dr. Hans Max Hirschfeld, man zonder moreel kompas? Over de ontsporing van beeldvorming
Authors: Bruin R. de
Published: September 2015

Dr Hans Max Hirschfeld: A Man without a Moral Compass? On Dislodging PerceptionsEven though his father was Jewish, Hans Max Hirschfeld became one of the most prominent Dutch civil servants during the German Occupation of the Netherlands. In the interest of the Dutch population, Hirschfeld was supposed to co-operate with the German Reichskommissariat. However, various measures made him very unpopular with the government in exile and the resistance movement. In his well-read history of the Netherlands under Nazi rule, Dutch historian Loe de Jong portrayed Hirschfeld as the personification of the aloofness that was characteristic of many Dutch people with regard to the persecution of the Jews. De Jong characterized Hirschfeld as a typical ‘negotiator’, who had learned to shield his emotions regarding the fate of the Jews. In the past few years, two biographies on Hirschfeld have been published, in which De Jong’s characterizations play a major role. This article, based on research of De Jong’s records, claims that the characterizations were largely inventions of De Jong, rooted in images projected in the illegal press during the German Occupation. This review is part of the discussion forum 'Dr. Max Hirschfeld. Man van het grote geld' (Meindert Fennema en Johan Rhijnsburger).