Although the Dutch Republic was notorious for its religious diversity, only the Reformed had the right to worship in public. Religious minority groups, Mennonites, Remonstrants and Catholics, maintained their identities but had to do so more or less underground. This course explores how religious minority groups in the Dutch Republic used tales of past martyrdom and glory, of past miracles and leadership, to make sense of their position, maintain group cohesion, and fashion a separate confessional and cultural identity for themselves. Minority believers engaged with the past in a variety of ways: by storytelling, singing songs, collecting artefacts, and writing histories. In this class we will examine the evidence of these memory practices in manuscripts, rare books and images, and so both try and get a better sense of the importance of memory for the emergence of religious identities, and rethink the relevance and appeal of history for seventeenth-century people.
Language of instruction
English if necessary. Reading knowledge of (early modern) Dutch is essential.
Admission Requirements
Entry test. Good reading knowledge of (early modern) Dutch. Latin and or some experience in reading 17thc script is useful.
Time Table
Wednesdays, 13.00-15.00 in LIPSIUS/308.
Semester I, see timetables.
Method of Instruction
Research seminar; attendance is compulsory (see the rules and regulations of the Department of History, art. 2).
Course objectives
Students will acquire a good insight into the history of religious minorities, memory studies and early modern historical writing in the Dutch Republic. They will learn how to trace and conduct research into published and unpublished primary sources. They will be expected to present their findings in an oral presentation and in a paper in which they define a clear problematic and develop a well-structured and well supported argument.
Required reading
R. Po-Chia Hsia and H.F.K. van Nierop (ed.), Calvinism and religious toleration in the Dutch Golden Age (Cambridge 2002).
Adam Foxe, Oral and literate culture in England, 1500-1700 (Oxford 2000) , chapters 4-5
Willem Frijhoff, Embodied belief (Hilversum, 2002), chapters 5 and 7.
Wim Vroom, Het wonderlid van Jan de Witt en andere vaderlandse relieken (Nijmegen 1997).
Further reading materials will be announced at a later stage.
Examination
Entry test
Presentation
Essay
Information
With the tutor: Prof. dr, J. Pollmann
Enrolment
Please use this form to apply for MA courses.