My thesis proposes to examine the role played by the supplying stations in the early configuration of the VOC empire in Asia. To do so, it will focus on a geographical area denominated as the...Show moreMy thesis proposes to examine the role played by the supplying stations in the early configuration of the VOC empire in Asia. To do so, it will focus on a geographical area denominated as the Supplying Post Zone, a geographical congestion point that marked the contact zone between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds and included St. Helena to the west, the Cape of Good Hope at its centre, and Madagascar and Mauritius to the eastShow less
My thesis investigates the problem of contrasting image-making of politicians in the 1970s and 1980s in the Netherlands. It studies the image-making of politicians, which saw the changing of norms...Show moreMy thesis investigates the problem of contrasting image-making of politicians in the 1970s and 1980s in the Netherlands. It studies the image-making of politicians, which saw the changing of norms in the political arena, professionalisation of journalism and wider social-cultural changes. Strikingly, during this period of emancipation of women and more women entering politics, the writing about female politicians stays partly stereotypical, whilst their self-presentation also follows stereotypical narratives in specific instances.Show less
This thesis makes a case for literature as a legitimate historical source and argues that literature provides a historical snapshot of social change. The Dutch bakvisroman, a girls’ book about...Show moreThis thesis makes a case for literature as a legitimate historical source and argues that literature provides a historical snapshot of social change. The Dutch bakvisroman, a girls’ book about rebellious girls who are partially tamed at the end of the story, is selected as a case study. The research question therefore is: How does the Dutch bakvisroman negotiate social change from 1894-1921? First, it is analysed via close reading how five such books deal with accepted, controversial and unaccepted gender and class norms - Tine van Berken’s Een Klaverblad van Vier (1894) and De Dochters van den Generaal (1897); Top Naeff’s Schoolidyllen (1900); and Cissy van Marxveldt’s De H.B.S.-Tijd van Joop ter Heul (1919) and Joop ter Heul’s Problemen (1921). How the books are a product of social change is explored by looking into the lives of the women writers, analysing their gender and class attitudes. Lastly, how the books are an agent of social change is explained by discussing the readers’ experience, delving into its reception by pedagogues, but also its reception by girls and boys via memoirs and diaries. By historicising the books, it becomes clear why the bakvisromans perpetuate class norms while being ambivalent towards gender norms, as well as what readers actually internalised from the books.Show less
This thesis details some aspects of the lives of enslaved and free people of color in Early Modern Curaçao. It focuses on bonds of kinship through an analysis of the Dutch term 'geslacht.' Thereby...Show moreThis thesis details some aspects of the lives of enslaved and free people of color in Early Modern Curaçao. It focuses on bonds of kinship through an analysis of the Dutch term 'geslacht.' Thereby it has exposed both how diverse the history of the black community of Curaçao was and how hard it is to research this history in present time. The intersection of enslavement and freedom is at the core of the research and has exemplified the unique role of Curaçao in the Early Modern Atlantic.Show less
In deze scriptie staat te hoe de positie van dienstweigeraars en deserteurs van de Nederlands-Indonesische oorlog in het collectieve geheugen zich heeft ontwikkeld tussen 1945 en 2005.
In 1572 is Zutphen het toneel van een burgeroorlog. In juni vindt de stad aansluiting bij de Opstand van Willem van Oranje en Willem van den Bergh, dankzij hulp van binnenuit. In november wordt de...Show moreIn 1572 is Zutphen het toneel van een burgeroorlog. In juni vindt de stad aansluiting bij de Opstand van Willem van Oranje en Willem van den Bergh, dankzij hulp van binnenuit. In november wordt de stad door het regeringsleger van Alva en don Fadrique heroverd en gestraft voor de opstandigheid. Volgens verhalen uit de latere herinneringscultuur vindt er dan een bloedbad onder de burgerbevolking plaats. Deze scriptie laat zien dat dit verhaal het product is van eigentijdse geruchten en propaganda, en gepolitiseerde herinneringspraktijken in de zeventiende eeuw. De lokale herinneringscultuur is een modern verschijnsel. Het aanvankelijke uitblijven van een lokale herinneringstraditie wordt verklaard door het ontbreken van belanghebbenden en de werking van vergetelheidclausules in amnestieregelingen als het Generaal Pardon (1574) en de Pacificatie van Gent (1576). Wat is er dan wel gebeurd? In werkelijkheid wordt het garnizoen Waalse huurlingen ter dood veroordeeld. Voor de Zutphenaren is 1572 (in hun woorden) vooral een 'ellendig jaar', waarbij de nadruk niet vanzelfsprekend op de gebeurtenissen in november ligt.Show less
Building on recent scholarly work on anticolonialism in European metropoles, this thesis looks into the activists and initiatives that advanced an anticolonial agenda in the interwar Dutch...Show moreBuilding on recent scholarly work on anticolonialism in European metropoles, this thesis looks into the activists and initiatives that advanced an anticolonial agenda in the interwar Dutch metropole from 1927 to 1935. This thesis places its focus on three main groups: activists from the Netherlands, the Dutch colonies and other parts of the global South and turns towards initiatives like the World Congress against Imperialist War (1932) in Amsterdam. Devoting special attention to the Dutch branch of the League against Imperialism (the LAI-NL), this thesis seeks to carve out an hitherto understudied part of Dutch, colonial and global history.Show less
Between 1945 and 1952, Dutch non-governmental organisations (NGOs) closely cooperated with intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) to administer aid to refugees. Making use of a case study approach,...Show moreBetween 1945 and 1952, Dutch non-governmental organisations (NGOs) closely cooperated with intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) to administer aid to refugees. Making use of a case study approach, this thesis scrutinises the cooperation between four NGOs and the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees (IGCR) and the International Refugee Organisation (IRO). How and why did NGOs and IGOs join forces to effectuate refugee relief? It turned out that interdependence played an important role: NGOs were reliant on the financial support from IGOs, whilst IGOs needed the ‘grassroot’ expert knowledge of NGOs. NGOs also distributed IGO support to the refugees and mediated on behalf of the refugees. In return, IGOs provided NGOs with legal assistance and advice. Moral arguments and preventive considerations (keeping the refugees on the right path and the fear for unwished precedents) played a lesser role in fuelling NGO-IGO cooperation. All in all, this thesis provides a first insight in the unstudied activity of Dutch relief NGOs directly after the war. The case studies are conducted against the backdrop of an extensive and inconclusive debate on NGOs and their role in the establishment of the modern humanitarian refugee regime.Show less
Greek poets reflected upon the epiphany – the presence - of the Muses in their poems in Ancient Greece. This study aims to determine why poets reflected upon the epiphany of the Muses in their...Show moreGreek poets reflected upon the epiphany – the presence - of the Muses in their poems in Ancient Greece. This study aims to determine why poets reflected upon the epiphany of the Muses in their poems. Since Greek poetry was performed in front of a public, it focusses on the social demands to question the epiphany of the Muses in Ancient Greece. Specifically, it investigates how various political and military crises may have created social demands to reflect upon the Muses’ epiphanies. To test the hypothesis that crises created needs for poets to question the reliability and presence of the Muses, the circumstances of poets’ lives and careers are investigated. Biographical and autobiographical literary evidence, in combination with archaeological and iconological evidence, supports the idea that crises led to a demand to reflect upon the Muses’ epiphanies. This suggests that disruptive experiences such as war and diseases impacted the trustworthiness of divine inspiration and divine knowledge.Show less
By addressing the theory associated with studying nationalism from below, and approaching the case study of the German occupation of the Netherlands during WWII, this thesis expands the...Show moreBy addressing the theory associated with studying nationalism from below, and approaching the case study of the German occupation of the Netherlands during WWII, this thesis expands the methodological toolbox with which to approach the evidence problem associated with historical research on nationalism from below. By taking the Stimmungsberichte (mood reports) written by the Wehrmacht, as ledgers of everyday actions performed by the silent majority of the Dutch population, this thesis assesses the fluctuation of nationalistic sentiment in terms of the commonly used repertoires of contention. This leads to a more dynamic perception of nationalism in the Netherlands during this unique time in the history of the nation-state.Show less
