De Slavernij is onze geschiedenis (niet). Over de discursieve strijd om de betekenis van de ntr- televisieserie De Slavernij

Abstract

Over de discursieve strijd om de betekenis van de ntr-televisieserie De Slavernij 1 guno jones Slavery is (Not) Our History: On the Public Debate and Divergent Meanings of the ntr Television Series Slavery This article discusses the debates that followed the broadcasting of Dutch ntr-television series Slavery (De Slavernij) in 2011. While the series was aimed at informing the general public about this silenced part of Dutch history, the subsequent debates on the series revealed fault lines in Dutch society with regard to ideas on how to know and represent slavery adequately. Although most participants, in line of a positivist epistemology, made appeals to historical facts, these debates clearly demonstrated how knowledge and representations of slavery are positioned in a social and academic field that is always characterised by power relations. Postcolonial critics, whose voices are underrepresented in Dutch academia and media, held very different perspectives on the nature of 'valid' paradigms, 'true' facts, 'proper' interpretations, 'appropriate' historical referents and representations concerning slavery to people who praised the series. These polarised debates pose the question of how to engage with the history of slavery without resorting to (biological) essentialism that is precisely one of its potent legacies 'we' want to overcome. 'Heeft iemand in de zaal ooit goed naar de gouden koets gekeken!? Weten jullie eigenlijk wel wat daarop afgebeeld staat!?' Met woorden van gelijke strekking vroeg Jeffrey Pondaag van het Comité Nederlandse Ereschulden tijdens een door Kosmopolis Utrecht en Debatcentrum Tumult georganiseerd

The Ideologically Colonized Metropole: Dutch Racism and Racist Denial

“…However, these histories of exclusion and oppression, particularly slavery in the West Indies and Suriname, have been largely erased from Dutch collective memory (cf. Bijl ; Helsloot ; Hira ; Jones ; Weiner forthcoming a). Instead, traditional Dutch scholars of enslavement and colonialism minimize these phenomena's impact on their society through scientific colonialism, portraying “colonialism as a normal form of relations between human beings [rather than] a system of exploitation and oppression” (Hira , pp.…”

Sensitive ‘Heritage’ of Slavery in a Multicultural Classroom: Pupils’ Ideas Regarding Significance

“…In current Dutch society, the history of slavery may be associated with discrimination and with Dutch citizens being seen as descendants of enslaved people or their traders (Jones, 2012;Loewen, 2010). Much of the dynamic of the Dutch debate about slavery is determined by a more transnational discourse shaped by the context of the United States (Oostindie, 2009).…”

Learning About Sensitive History: “Heritage” of Slavery as a Resource

“…The history of slavery is a sensitive topic in the Netherlands, because of its horrific aspects and, in particular, because of the role of the Dutch in the transatlantic slave trade. In current Dutch society, the history of slavery may be associated with discrimination and with Dutch citizens being seen as descendants of enslaved people or their traders (Jones, 2012;Loewen, 2010). One of the primary sensitivities is the extent to which this history is acknowledged by the majority of Dutch citizens and included into historical representations in schools and museums.…”