This new English translation of Huizinga’s 'Autumntide of the Middle Ages' ('Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen') celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and... Show moreThis new English translation of Huizinga’s 'Autumntide of the Middle Ages' ('Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen') celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and influential analyses of the late medieval period. Its wide-ranging discussion of fourteenth and fifteenth century France and the Low Countries makes it a classic study of life, culture, and thought in medieval society. The new and now unabridged translation of the original text captures the impact of Huizinga’s deep scholarship and powerful language. The translation is based on the Dutch edition of 1941 – the last edition Huizinga worked on. It features English renderings of the Middle French poems and other contemporary sources, and its colour illustrations include over three hundred paintings and prints, illuminated manuscripts, and miniatures pertinent to Huizinga’s discourse. A complete bibliography of Huizinga’s sources will facilitate further research, while an epilogue addresses the meaning and enduring importance of this classic work. Show less
The sexual behavior of people in any given society or subculture is guided by certain codes of conduct: written or unwritten rules on how to behave. Cupid on a Leash researches the different codes... Show moreThe sexual behavior of people in any given society or subculture is guided by certain codes of conduct: written or unwritten rules on how to behave. Cupid on a Leash researches the different codes of conduct that guided sexuality in Italy between c. 1450 and 1550. It identifies which codes were present for people of different genders, ages, social classes and sexual orientations. Moreover, the book examines how broadly these codes were shared within the source material, and analyzes the roots and rationalizations of their existence. A wide variety of sources, written by male as well as female authors, is used to analyze these sexual codes of conduct. These sources range from romance epics, novellas, and treatises on love, to sermons, anatomical treatises, and personal correspondence. By revealing the many, often contradictory codes of conduct guiding sexuality, Cupid on a Leash provides insight into the complexities of societal expectations in Renaissance Italy. It studies the arguments that people used to defend sexual codes of conduct, and analyzes the logic behind these arguments, seeking to explain why they were considered so important. Show less
The miracle of the hbs is about the early history of the hogere burgerschool (Higher Civic School) or HBS, a now-defunct Dutch secondary school type that achieved great fame. The research focuses... Show moreThe miracle of the hbs is about the early history of the hogere burgerschool (Higher Civic School) or HBS, a now-defunct Dutch secondary school type that achieved great fame. The research focuses on the establishment and functioning of the HBS in twelve smaller municipalities with populations of less than 10,000 people in the outer provinces of the Netherlands. Initially, the HBS was not really a success – its profile was unclear, the results of its few students were disappointing, and the cost for national and local government high. Still, those first few schools survived. The aim of the study is to find explanations for this paradox.The research shows that the miracle of the HBS is due to a combination of factors: well-timed legislation; a well-drafted law; two strong inducements in the legislation, namely money and curricular freedom; great enthusiasm in the region, particularly outside the traditional centre of the country; a degree of invulnerability to criticism from the opposition; and, above all, the self-confident actions of erudite and well-paid teachers committed to the new school and prepared to devote themselves fully to designing and improving its curriculum without making any concessions to the quality of the education. Show less
Unlike most city histories, this book focuses exclusively on the city’s connections with colonialism and slavery. Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, is one of Europe’s leading ports. Its... Show moreUnlike most city histories, this book focuses exclusively on the city’s connections with colonialism and slavery. Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, is one of Europe’s leading ports. Its maritime expansion was intrinsically linked to Dutch colonialism, including slave trading and colonial slavery in the Americas, Africa and Asia. This painful history sits uneasily with the city’s modern cosmopolitan image and its large population of ‘new Rotterdammers’ with colonial roots. The present volume provides a summary of the research that has documented this history, with chapters on the contribution of colonial trade to economic development; the city’s involvement in slavery; the role of the urban political elites; the impact on urban development and architecture; the ‘ethical impulse’; colonial art and ethnographic collections; colonial and postcolonial migration; and finally the resonance of this history in postcolonial Rotterdam. Show less
Margaret of Burgundy (1374-1441) is known mainly for two reasons. Firstly, her marriage in 1385 to William of Bavaria, eldest son of the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland, laid the foundation... Show moreMargaret of Burgundy (1374-1441) is known mainly for two reasons. Firstly, her marriage in 1385 to William of Bavaria, eldest son of the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland, laid the foundation for the transfer of power in these principalities to the Burgundian dynasty some 50 years later. Secondly, she supported her only child Jacqueline of Bavaria, who fought many battles in order to prevent this. The combination of these two roles points to a conflict of interest. By supporting her daughter as the rightful Bavarian heir, Margaret inevitably came into conflict with members of her own dynasty of origin, the Valois Burgundians. The overarching question in the research presented in this thesis is what tilted the scales for Margaret as a political player in different phases of her life: was it her loyalty to the Burgundian or to the Bavarian dynasty, her connection with the Hook party in Holland, or was she driven mainly by self-interest, as is sometimes suggested? Related to this is the question whether her means were substantial enough to allow her to play her own game. In this biographical study, a chronological and a thematic approach have been combined. The loyalty question serves as guideline for the first part, in which the story of Margaret’s life is told chronologically within the broader context of political developments. The thematic second part is dedicated to her financial position as a widow, her court, and her religious and literary patronage. Show less
Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area... Show moreGum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area stretching across the African continent just south of the Sahara. From the time of the Crusades, when Europeans purchased it in Arab countries, it has played an ever-growing role in the global economy. It is now a common ingredient in foods, sodas, and cosmetics. Combining cultural history with travel writing, Dorrit van Dalen follows the fascinating history and shifting meanings assigned to gum Arabic from Shakespeare to Bin Laden and from the Industrial Revolution to a veteran of a recent coup d’état in Chad. She shows that both African and Western civilisations would not be the same without these tears of the acacia. Show less
Taking a series of popular jokes about fictitious “anti-societies” as its point of departure, this article explores the responses to the transformation of reform in the decade between 1825 and 1835... Show moreTaking a series of popular jokes about fictitious “anti-societies” as its point of departure, this article explores the responses to the transformation of reform in the decade between 1825 and 1835 and places them in the context of social and political change brought about by Jacksonian democracy. Rooted in the tradition of the moral reform society, through specialization of its aims, the anti-society seemed to become a democratic pendant of older reform societies and was thought to play a more divisive role in local communities. Critics denounced the new societies for their prescriptive character, the prominent role women played, and the “spirit of opposition” they triggered. Contemporaries increasingly understood the evolution of reform culture from the relatively harmonious religious and moral reform societies of the Benevolent Empire of the first quarter of the 19th century to the oppositional and highly contested organizations of radical antislavery and temperance of the 1830s as a serious threat to the social order and the future of the United States. Using the Benign Violation Theory of Humor, this article argues that the American reaction to anti-societies suggests that while they were broadly perceived as a threat to the social order from the late 1820s on, this threat was at first understood to be benign, and thus could be laughed off, while from 1833 on, anti-societies were increasingly regarded as a destructive force, and provoked substantial fears that could justify violent responses as an alternative way to reinforce the “normal” order of things. Show less
This dissertation examines the memory cultures of Netherlandish migrants who left their homes during the Dutch Revolt (ca. 1568-1648) and the religious persecutions preceding it. It shows how... Show moreThis dissertation examines the memory cultures of Netherlandish migrants who left their homes during the Dutch Revolt (ca. 1568-1648) and the religious persecutions preceding it. It shows how narratives of exile and victimhood were transmitted between generations and cultivated in various social and religious settings until the eighteenth century. The consciousness of a shared past connected Netherlandish diaspora groups all over Europe and at the same time provided them with models of identification with their various local host societies. Integration into the various host societies in Germany, England and the Dutch Republic did not inhibit the commemoration of the refugee past, but led to an incorporation of exile narrative into new memory canons. New generations could often benefit from identifying with the fate of persecuted ancestors, especially in pietist and puritan circles in Germany and England. Having suffered for one’s faith served as a proof of religious steadfastness and the identification with the persecuted ‘small flock of true Christians’ appealed to many pietists without a migrant background. Exile narratives were increasingly shared by migrants and non-migrants and allowed individuals to participate in cultures of religious exclusivity Show less
Het idee dat oorlogvoering niet alleen een praktisch vak is, maar ook een goede theoretische onderbouwing nodig heeft, ontstond al aan het eind van de vijftiende eeuw. Daarbij speelde de... Show moreHet idee dat oorlogvoering niet alleen een praktisch vak is, maar ook een goede theoretische onderbouwing nodig heeft, ontstond al aan het eind van de vijftiende eeuw. Daarbij speelde de boekdrukkunst als nieuw communicatiemiddel een cruciale rol, want juist via het gedrukte woord konden kennis en informatie op krijgskundig gebied gemakkelijk en breed worden verspreid. Aan dit aspect is tot nu toe nauwelijks aandacht besteed en er bestaat van geen enkel land een algemene studie over militaire boekcultuur. Gewapend met kennis presenteert een eerste overzicht van de rijke Nederlandse militaire boekcultuur: van de eerste militaire vakbibliotheek, in 1600 ontstaan aan de Leidse universiteit, tot de eerste druk van het bekende Handboek voor de soldaat uit 1933. De eerste werken werden gedrukt door Christoffel Plantijn in Antwerpen, maar al snel werden Den Haag en Amsterdam het centrum van de Nederlandse militaire publicistiek. Tot in de achttiende eeuw was de Nederlandse Republiek zelfs internationaal een belangrijke producent van militaire literatuur. De auteur had voor zijn onderzoek toegang tot het omvangrijke en unieke historisch boekbezit aanwezig in het cultureel erfgoed van Defensie. Gewapend met kennis bevat een schat aan materiaal voor onderzoekers, geïnteresseerden en erfgoedinstellingen, en geeft de militair een ander gezicht. Show less
A description of 17th century anatomical activity at the major Dutch university in a cultural context This study offers a history of the Leiden anatomical theatre in the first century of its... Show moreA description of 17th century anatomical activity at the major Dutch university in a cultural context This study offers a history of the Leiden anatomical theatre in the first century of its existence; who were the scientists working there in the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age. What was the motivation of these scholars for studying and demonstrating the human body? Was it purely medical or were their other - more philosophical - questions at stake? Besides a cultural historical account of the anatomical theatre the dissertation also offers the histories of other centres of anatomical activity in 17th century Leiden: the Collegium Medico Practicum at the Caecilia Hospital, and Leiden's surgeons guild. Show less
Throughout the nineteenth century many genre and history painters from Central-Europe, as elsewhere, chose to depict scenes from everyday life in the past. At the time writers of historiographic... Show moreThroughout the nineteenth century many genre and history painters from Central-Europe, as elsewhere, chose to depict scenes from everyday life in the past. At the time writers of historiographic and literary texts, reviews of books and works of art often expressed a longing to be able to ´see´ such personal life in history, and to sympathize with its positive moments. Scenes of historical genre were particularly apt to meet those wishes. The preference for eras and locations underwent changes during the course of that century, and the same goes for the situations and activities that ´historical´ people were shown involved in. The variance in historical ideals in Germany, Austria and Poland led to a wide variety of scenes within Central-European historical genre, whilst producing, at the same time, sometimes surprising similarities. Object of this study has been the cultural-historical context of some of the most frequently painted themes and types of historical genre, as well as contemporary comments, in order to find out what meaning these images held for the nineteenth-century beholder. Show less
