Newsletter
Volume 6, Number 9, December 2005

Successful 6th Biennial conference

The Sixth Biennial ALCS Conference at UCL (5-7 January 2006) was a great success. For readers who could not attend, a programme and other information can still be found on the ALCS website at:
http://alcs.group.shef.ac.uk/conferences/conference6/homeconf.htm. We hope to have an extensive report in the following Newsletter.

MA programme in the Dutch Golden Age at the University of London

This MA programme is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the history and culture of the Netherlands in the early modern period, focusing on the Dutch Republic during its seventeenth-century efflorescence. Jointly offered by UCL, King's College and the Courtauld Institute, the programme draws on the full range of expertise within the University of London for the study of this subject. Interdisciplinary, it com-bines three fields: history, art history and Dutch language/literature.
Students take a course in each of these fields over the autumn and spring terms. In addition they attend a bi-weekly research skills seminar. In the third term and over the following summer they write a dissertation which links the different fields covered in the taught courses. Most students take the programme full-time over one year (September to September), but the option also exists to take it part-time over two.

The programme takes advantage of the unique resources in London's museums, libraries, archives and institutes for the study of the Dutch Golden Age. The National Gallery, the British Museum, the Wallace Collection, the Courtauld Museum and Ken-wood House all hold major collections of Dutch art. In addition to its outstanding gen-eral collection of rare books the British Library contains the world's largest collection of Elsevier imprints, as well as a microfiche copy of the Knuttel collection of Dutch pamphlets in The Hague. The University of London's Institute for Historical Research has an important collection of Dutch books and periodicals, specializing in research aids. In addition the Institute hosts the Low Countries Seminar, where scholars from Britain and abroad present the findings of recent research.

To apply to the programme, students must have an upper second class honours degree or equivalent from a university (e.g. a bachelors degree with a GPA of 3.4). Prior knowledge of the Dutch language is not required; depending on their linguistic skills, students will be placed in one of three language/literature courses and trained in the reading of Dutch texts. However students who have no acquaintance at all with Dutch will be expected to begin informally their study of it in the summer before they com-mence the programme. Students will be provided with information about resources available for doing so.

For more information: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/admissions/maadmiss/dutch.htm
Persons with further questions should contact Prof. Benjamin Kaplan by email: b.kaplan@ucl.ac.uk

H-Low Countries

In H-Low-Countries two initiatives are combined. Both in the United States and in the Netherlands a group of historians decided it was time to create an H-list for Dutch history. In the United States the initiative was taken by the Society for Netherlandic History, in particular by Wim Klooster and Laura Cruz, while in the Netherlands Doeko Bosscher and Dirk Jan Wolffram of the University of Groningen took the lead. The Royal Dutch History Association (KNHG) also appeared to be interested in the creation of an internet-email-network, especially in relation to their plans for electronic publication of the contents of the Bijdragen en Mededelingen betreffende de Geschiedenis der Nederlanden. Confronted with two similar initiatives, the H-Net-organisation decided that they would only approve of creating an H-list on Dutch history, if the initiators would combine their efforts. This resulted in a mission statement, which appears below.

The list of subscribers already includes scholars from all over the world.

We would emphasise that, although the mission statement suggests a certain bias towards Dutch history, we include the history of Belgium, Luxemburg, the former Burgundy and other areas which used to be part of the Low Countries. We also encourage messages on the colonial past of the Netherlands and of Belgium.

We shall collect and post announcements and reviews as well as news about the activities of subscribers and any questions which they may have on the history of the Low Countries.
H-Low-Countries will be edited by Laura Cruz, Doeko Bosscher and Dirk Jan Wolff-ram. The editorial advisory board consists of: Prof. dr. R. Aerts, University of Nij-megen, Prof. Dr. K. van Berkel, University of Groningen, Prof. Wayne te Brake, State University of New York, Prof. MaryBeth Carlson, University of Dayton, Prof. Ben Kaplan, University of London, Prof. Wim Klooster, Clark University, Dr. Elsbeth Locher-Scholten, University of Utrecht, Prof. Dr. Nicolette Mout, University of Leiden, Chair of the KNHG, Prof. Henk van Nierop University of Amsterdam, Prof. Hubert van Tuyll, Augusta State University, Prof. dr. Henk te Velde, University of Groningen/University of Leiden and Prof. Jan de Vries, University of California at Berkeley.

H-Low-Countries' mission statement is as follows:

H-Low-Countries is an international electronic discussion group for scholars and teachers engaged in the study and history of the Low Countries, broadly defined to include the modern countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg (as well as their colonial possessions), from ancient times to the present day. The list is open to all faculty, advanced students and independent scholars interested in the history of the region.

H-Low-Countries strives to create an international community of scholars with di-verse methodological approaches, archival experiences, teaching styles and intel-lectual traditions. The primary purpose is to promote international discussions of issues and ideas relevant to the study of the Low Countries as a whole and to the different national histories in particular. H-Low-Countries offers room for questions and discussions, reviews of books, journals and articles, tables of contents of journals on the history of the Low Countries (both in Dutch and in English) and announce-ments of conventions and seminars.

While the list remains open to those who work in all areas in the Low Countries, much of the list's activities will focus on the history of the Netherlands. The Nether-lands have a rich history of European greatness (and fall), colonial power, culture and politics. It has a unique political history of republicanism, monarchism and demo-cracy. Its cultural history features some of the most eminent examples of painting (Rembrandt, Van Gogh), but also a combination of religious orthodoxy and tolerance.

Its twentieth-century socio-political history of corporatism nowadays is seen as a role-model for modern politics in Europe. Although some of the most eminent historians in the world have published important books on Dutch history (Schama, The embarrass-ment of riches; Israel, The Dutch republic), historiography of the Netherlands is large-ly produced in the Netherlands and published in Dutch. This impedes a true scholarly debate on Dutch historiography and hinders an international comparative approach to Dutch history in particular and to the history of the Low Countries in general. H-Low-Countries wants to enhance the quality of historiography on the Netherlands by presenting it to an international community of historians and by creating an internat-ional audience for its history, which will stimulate publication in the field and lead to an increased awareness of the importance of its history.

Those interested in subscribing to H-Low-Countries can do so be sending an email, which should include their name and affiliated institution to listserv@h-net.msu.edu, and will receive in return a reply which will give details of the roles of the editors and information on how to communicate with other subscribers through the list.

New exhibition

An exhibition, entitled Prenten in de Gouden Eeuw: van kunst tot kastpapier, will be held from 21 January to 19 March in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotter-dam. The exhibition was to have been held in the Rijksmuseum, but had to be moved because of problems with asbestos. An illustrated catalogue will accompany the ex-hibition.

Student Day Sheffield 24 - 25 November 2005

The ALCS organised a Student Day at the University of Sheffield on Thursday and Friday 24 and 25 November 2005. The Student Day was open to all university stud-ents of Dutch in Great Britain and Ireland. Over a hundred students were present from universities in Cambridge, Hull, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Dublin. It was an informal, fun occasion and an opportunity for students (and staff) to meet colleagues from other institutions. The activities were inspired by Dutch language and culture, but the emphasis lay more on celebration than on instruction. We think it was an enriching experience for all. The 2005 ALCS Student Day was organised in close cooperation with Passionate, an organisation for the promotion of literature from Rotterdam.

On Thursday afternoon (24/11) there were poetry workshop for students under the guidance of De Woord Dansers. In the evening there was a poetry slam, involving De WoordDansers, a DJ, a VJ, and those students who liked to be involved. On Friday Bob Moore of the History Department at the University of Sheffield gave a talk entitled: From Kuyper to Kok: British perceptions of the Netherlands in the last 100 years. One of Bob's research interests is the history of the Netherlands, especially the holocaust. His publications include Victims and survivors: The Nazi persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands, 1940-1945 (London: Arnold, 1997), also published as Slachtoffers en Overlevenden: De nazi-vervolging van de Joden in Nederland, 1940-1945 (Amsterdam: Prometheus, 1998), '"Goed en fout" or "grijs verleden"?: com-peting perspectives on the history of the Netherlands under German occupation, 1940-1945', Dutch Crossing, XXVII/2 (2003) pp. 155-168, and 'The Rescue of Jews in Nazi-occupied Belgium, France and the Netherlands', Australian Journal of politics and history L/3 (2004) pp. 385-395.

The ALCS had obtained a subsidy from the Nederlandse Taalunie and the Royal Netherlands Embassy for the organisation of the 2005 ALCS Student Day. All stud-ents' travelling and subsistence expenses were subsidised, so there were no costs involved for participating students. Visitors from outside Sheffield were put up as much as possible in student accommodation, while some spent the night in hotels.

More information can be found on the ALCS website: http://www.shef.ac.uk/alcs/studentday2005.htm

Ferry link between Great Yarmouth and IJmuiden

A fast ferry link between Great Yarmouth and Ijmuiden is planned to be running by 2008. Details issued by the local Eastern Daily Press and by Norfolk District Council indicate that the plan has been greeted as enthusiastically in The Netherlands as in East Anglia.

New publications of interest to members of ALCS

Ginny Gardner, The Scottish exile community in the Netherlands, 1660-1690: 'shaken together in the bag of affliction'. East Linton: Tuckwell, 2005. [14],258p. (Scottish historical review monographs series; 13.)

Peter Burke, Towards a Social History of Early Modern Dutch (Meertens Ethnology Cahier 1: Amsterdam University Press, 2005. ISBN: 90 5356 8611 1. [Sent in by Alastair Duke on 5 February 2006.]

Election of ALCS Executive Committee for 2006-2008

At the Biennial General Meeting of ALCS held at University College London on 7 January 2006 the following were elected to the Executive Committee:

Dr Nicola McLelland (Nottingham) as president; and, as committee members, Dr Hugh Dunthorne (Swansea) Dr William Kelly (Edinburgh) Ms Henriette Louwerse (Sheffield) Dr Axel Rueger (National Gallery, London) Prof Reinier Salverda (UC, London) Dr Ulrich Tiedau (UC, London) Dr Barbara Traxler-Brown (UC, Dublin) Dr Roel Vismans (Sheffield)

Specific office holders will be confirmed as soon as the new committee has held its first meeting.

Website

The ALCS website (http://www.shef.ac.uk/alcs/), maintained by Eddy Verbaan, is updated regularly with news about conferences and other events elsewhere. There is a calendar of events and reports of past ALCS events. The website is rapidly becoming an important medium of communication for the Association. Members can also use it to announce their own conferences, seminars, exhibitions and other events. Please contact Eddy Verbaan on: e.verbaan@sheffield.ac.uk.

Next issue

Contributions for the next issue of the Newsletter should be sent to the editor by 1 June 2006.

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