Dutch culture in a European perspective 2

The series of books Dutch Culture in a European Perspective is a product of long-term cooperation between scholars affiliated with eight different Dutch universities, the University of Ghent, and University College London. Research for this extensive project began in 1990 and was generously subsidized by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The five volumes of the Dutch edition appeared in 1999-2001 under the title Nederlandse Cultuur in Europese Context and were widely acclaimed in the Dutch press. Four volumes, each devoted to a significant moment in the history of the Netherlands, describe the characteristics of Dutch culture in its European setting a story of cultural patterns and particularities in the Netherlands around the years 1650, 1800, 1900, and 1950. The fifth volume discusses the findings presented in the four preceding volumes in a more systematic way. The books cover a wide field of cultural history, not only of the sciences, art, music, and literature, but also education, religion and secularization, philosophy, social life, and urbanization. While offering a wealth of detail, the historical narrative focuses on the cultural debate about how to organize society and how to live.