Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis - Volume 128, Issue 2, 2015

Anything on your mind? Ancient Greece as an uncertainty society

This article outlines a number of issues specific to uncertainty management in the ancient Greek world (c. 800 BC – c. 150 BC) and the modern Western world – and juxtaposes the two where suitable, illuminating a number of aspects peculiar to Greek divination. The ancient Greek turned towards his gods for qualitative data: perceived signs from the supernatural. These signs were sought on both private and public matters; they were then interpreted in order to obtain information. The individual had to take these interpretations seriously. The ancient Greeks lived in an uncertainty society – or perhaps even in a divination society. Divination was a culturally specific way to reduce uncertainty and allowed individuals to analyze and, where possible, manage or direct their own future.

Drying Irish tears. Transnational solidarity and local politics in Zeeland, 1641-1644

This article shows how a local consistory from the province of Zeeland, driven by Calvinist loyalty and concern about the national church and state caused by the outbreak of the First English Civil War, laid the foundation for a charitable collection for Irish Protestants. It reviews the effectiveness of transnational Calvinist networks in generating political and financial support for the Puritan cause even though it contravened the official Dutch policy of neutrality. Decentralization of the collection enabled the authorities to avoid conflict with their Puritan citizens and to maintain consensus, thus maintaining the Republic’s ideal of harmony. Loyalty with fellow believers, the effective use of local lobbying networks, and the decentralized structure of the Dutch Republic were all crucial in the success of this collection. This case shows that international Calvinist solidarity did not necessarily depend on action at the national level but could be triggered by local initiative.

Consensus between North and South. The commission of higher education of 1828 versus the universities

At first sight the report of the commission on higher education of 1828 gives the impression of adopting the views of the Northern universities of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, when analysing the recommendations to the commission more carefully, we get another picture. The traditional division between North and South has to be replaced by a division between the commission, as an instrument of King and government, and the large academic community in both North and South. This consensus between North and South is discussed with regard to the main subjects of the debate: the number, place, and function of universities; the freedom of professors and students; the teaching programme and language used; and the material subsidies and administration of universities. The wide range of issues and the extent of the public debate provide a very topical sample of views on higher education.

The right to historical criticism. The Heiligerlee Debate (1868-1869) and the professionalization of Dutch historiography

The controversial celebration in 1868 of the 300-year anniversary of the Battle of Heiligerlee, the first Dutch victory against Spanish troops in the Dutch Revolt, led to a historical debate between Robert Fruin, Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, and Willem Nuyens. While historians have described this Heiligerlee Debate as an example of how religious differences affected historiography, this article offers a different perspective: it analyses the debate in the context of the professionalization of historiography, and argues that tensions inherent in this process are reflected in the way the three parties interacted with each other. Taking a historicizing as well as a generalizing approach, the article shows that this nineteenth-century debate involved issues that are still relevant for historians today.

A small parade towards the Great War. The cultural militarization of Remembrance Day in Belgium, 1870-1914

This paper presents a new perspective on Belgian civil-military relations in the decades before World War One. ‘Brave little Belgium’ played a central role in the war effort, but it is seldom connected to pre-war militarization in western Europe. On the contrary, Belgium has been categorized as an antimilitaristic nation. By mapping the civil-military interactions during Remembrance Day, this article aims to shed light on forgotten militarization processes in the cultural domain. The assessment of military elements in the ceremonial landscape nuances the traditional perspective of a broad civil-military gap in Belgian society. It is indeed true that an official military cult was virtually absent from the national festivities. Nonetheless, this research unveils a process of civilian militarization that was previously overlooked. From 1890 onwards militaristic associations and local authorities jointly instigated promotion of the military through parades, war commemorations, and demonstrations.