Discovering the Dutch: On Culture and Society of the Netherlands

Book info: Discovering the Dutch: On Culture and Society of the Netherlands (Paperback, 304 pages) – Routledge, 2010. Language: English.

Hard to Find book Editorial Reviews Review

“Like the paintings of Holland’s Golden Age, the Dutch themselves have many layers of meaning. Discovering the Dutch unravels the mysteries and contradictions of these people, to whom we owe the foundations of western principles of democracy and justice. Did you know that Hans Brinker was more American than Dutch? Want to understand how the Dutch Calvinists literally bet their houses on a tulip bulb? Read this book for these and other fascinating insights.”

-- Cynthia P. Schneider, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands

“Judicious, useful, expert and concise—it would be hard to imagine a better guide to the cultural and historical reality of Dutch society today.”

-- Jonathan Israel, author of The Dutch Republic

“From Rembrandt to Anne Frank, pancakes to coffee shops, canal houses to modern design, this volume explores myths and explodes misconceptions about the Netherlands and ‘Dutchness.’ Whether you are planning to spend a week in Amsterdam or are writing a dissertation on Dutch culture and history, this is a very useful volume.”

-- Russell Shorto, author of Descartes’ Bones and The Island at the Center of the World About the Author Jaap Verheul is Associate Professor of Cultural History at Utrecht University and Professor of Transatlantic Relations at Radboud University Nijmegen. Emmeline Besamusca lectures on Dutch Culture and Intercultural Communication at Utrecht University and teaches Low Countries Studies at the University of Vienna.