In 1895, the Dutch Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP) convened for its first party conference. Two years later, the first SDAP members were elected to Parliament. Between these years and the...Show moreIn 1895, the Dutch Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP) convened for its first party conference. Two years later, the first SDAP members were elected to Parliament. Between these years and the Second World War, the SDAP transitioned from a party with revolutionary aspirations to a fully normalized parliamentary entity. This thesis studies the SDAP’s assembly culture (vergadercultuur) in both the House of Representatives and their own party conferences. The first part of the thesis utilizes a combination of traditional and innovative digital methodologies to demonstrate that the normalisation of the position of the SDAP in the House of Representatives peaked in the mid-1920s. The second part of the thesis explores the development of the internal assembly culture of the SDAP, focusing on the role of the chairperson, procedures, time management, and usage of ‘persoonlijke feiten’, a phenomenon originating from Parliament. This section shows that while the internal assembly culture of the SDAP matured in many respects, this process was non-linear in many other respects, rendering the metaphor of maturation insufficient.Show less
This thesis centres on the Annotatiën op de Surinaamsche Beschrijvinge van Ao. 1718 (Annotations of the Description of Suriname Ao. 1718), a redrafted monograph written between 1765-1772 by Jan...Show moreThis thesis centres on the Annotatiën op de Surinaamsche Beschrijvinge van Ao. 1718 (Annotations of the Description of Suriname Ao. 1718), a redrafted monograph written between 1765-1772 by Jan Nepveu, governor-general of the Dutch slave colony of Suriname between (acting) 1756-57 and 1768-79. Interrogating the epistemic foundations of the Eurocentric colonial metaphysical categories of the human and animal, the study combines techniques from historical discourse analysis with theory from Zakiyyah Iman Jackson’s Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World, a work that challenges the human/animal binary by reframing the black(ened) human as an entangled and integral component of modern (human) being. As examples illustrative of Dutch racism past and present, Nepveu’s representations of whiteness, blackness and animality – types of being demonstrated to be constitutive of the Enlightenment liberal universal concept of humanity – are situated in the larger context of (European-led) transatlantic slavery, conquest and colonialism. Arguing against the dominant scholarly trend that frames antiblack ideology in terms of acceptance/exclusion from the category of the human and the legal, political and social rights it entails, the category of the universal liberal human itself and the historical context from which it emerged is shown to have established and sustained race and the intertwined abjectification of the non-human.Show less
The interwar period saw the rise of the European metropolis as 'hubs' of transnational anti-colonialism. This thesis focuses on the city of Amsterdam as one of these hubs and adds a spatial...Show moreThe interwar period saw the rise of the European metropolis as 'hubs' of transnational anti-colonialism. This thesis focuses on the city of Amsterdam as one of these hubs and adds a spatial approach to the historiography of the European anti-colonial 'hub'. Researching anti-colonial internationalism from a spatial perspective gives new insights into the interconnectedness of internationalism and specific sites. Transnational organizations and actors who formulated and propagated ideas on anti-colonialism were always grounded in spatial contexts. The approach to space and spatiality in this thesis is inspired by the research project ‘Conferencing the International: A Cultural and Historical Geography of the Origins of Internationalism, 1919-39’, which ran between 2015-2020 and was funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). This project approached internationalism from a geographical perspective, studying how divergent forms of internationalisms manifested themselves in international conferences in the interwar period. Informed by both the research project, the book Placing Internationalism, and the project’s virtual exhibition, this thesis examines the relationship between transnational anti-colonialism and the spaces of anti-colonial activity in Amsterdam.Show less
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
