Reframing Dutch Culture: Between Otherness and Authenticity

This absorbing account of contemporary Dutch culture makes an important and original contribution to current debates over cultural heritage and national identity. It should appeal to readers in a variety of countries and disciplines.Peter Burke, University of CambridgeIn recent years, Dutch society has undergone radical transformations, due to complex political, social and ethnic developments. This book provides an interdisciplinary analysis of these changes at different levels, also relating them to wider European and global transformation processes. First of all, examining the formations of Dutch identity, it then discusses topical issues such as Turkish immigrants, ethnic tensions, and the transformations in religion, dress and national tradition. It also highlights the contribution of Dutch ethnology to the international debate. Overall, it provides a fascinating and insightful view on modern Dutch society.Contents: Introduction, Peter Jan Margry and Herman Roodenburg. Part 1 Otherness and Identity: Moroccan Dutch boys and the authentication of clothing styles, Hester Dibbits; Celebrating localism: the festive articulation of Texel's identity, Rob van Ginkel; Public folklore and the construction of a regional identity in newly reclaimed Dutch polders, Albert van der Zeijden; Appropriating modernity and tradition: the Turkish-Dutch and the imaginary geography of East and West, Hilje van der Horst. Part 2 Performance: Performative memorials: arenas of political resentment in Dutch society, Peter Jan Margry; Crop circle tales: narrative testimonies from the Frontier Science Movement, Theo Meder; Commemorating victims of 'senseless violence'; negotiating ethnic inclusion and exclusion, Irene Stengs. Part 3 Heritage and Authenticity: Transforming notions of mercy at work: the changing mission of the Fraters of Tilburg in secularized Dutch society, Martin Ramstedt; Vernacular authenticity: negotiating Mother's Day and Father's Day in the Netherlands, John Helsloot; Singing in Dutch dialects: language choice in music and the dialect renaissance, Louis Peter Grijp; Their own heritage: women wearing traditional costumes in the village of Marken, Herman RoodenburgPeter Jan Margry and Herman Roodenburg; Bibliographic information on Dutch ethnology; Appendix; Index.About the Author: Dr Peter Jan Margry, Senior Research Fellow in religious Culture at the Department of Dutch Ethnology of the Meertens Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Netherlands and Dr Herman Roodenburg, Head of Department of Dutch Ethnology at the Meertens Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Netherlands and Professor of Cultural History at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium